NASA Welcomes Portugal as 60th Artemis Accords Signatory
Portugal is the latest country to sign the Artemis Accords alongside 59 other countries as part of a commitment to advance the principles of responsible exploration of the Moon, Mars and beyond with NASA.
“Portugal joins a group of nations building the framework for safe, transparent and prosperous activity in space,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said in a recorded speech. “This is our generation’s golden age of exploration. Together, we are advancing innovation, fostering international collaboration, and discovering the secrets of the universe.”
Portuguese Secretary of State for Science and Innovation, Helena Canhão, signed the Artemis Accords on behalf of the country on January 11.
“2026 is the year humans return to the Moon. It will mark the beginning of a new era of space exploration, which will recall the Portuguese explorers of the past, like Magellan and his circumnavigation of our planet,” Hugo Costa, executive director of the recently established Portuguese Space Agency, said about the signing. “As a nation that approaches space sustainability with great care and responsibility, Portugal and the Portuguese Space Agency are proud to join the Artemis Accords and contribute to the sustainable, beneficial and peaceful use of space for all humanity.”
A signing recognition ceremony was held Monday in the capital Lisbon during a biannual meeting between the United States and Portugal to discuss cooperation between the two governments.
“This is a significant step forward toward responsible space exploration,” said U.S. Ambassador to Portugal John J. Arrigo, who attended the event. “Shared principles like those of the Artemis Accords are essential to ensuring that space remains an area of stability, security and opportunity for all nations. »
In 2020, under the first Trump administration, the United States, led by NASA and the U.S. State Department, joined seven other founding countries to conclude the Artemis Accords, responding to growing interest in lunar activities from governments and private companies.
The agreements introduced the first set of practical principles aimed at strengthening the security, transparency and coordination of civilian space exploration on the Moon, Mars and beyond.
Signing the Artemis Accords means exploring peacefully and transparently, providing aid to those in need, ensuring unrestricted access to scientific data from which all humanity can learn, ensuring that activities do not interfere with those of others, preserving historically significant sites and artifacts, and developing best practices on how to conduct space exploration activities for the benefit of all.
Other countries are expected to sign the Artemis Accords in the coming months and years.
Learn more about Artemis Agreements at:
https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-accords
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Bethany Stevens/Elizabeth Shaw
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
bethany.c.stevens@nasa.gov / elizabeth.a.shaw@nasa.gov
