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The Artemis Accords are a political commitment by participating countries to shared principles for civil space exploration—not a new treaty or a grant of territory on the Moon. Established in 2020 by NASA and the U.S. Department of State with seven other initial signatories, they set out practices for safer, more transparent cooperation in space. NASA reported 76 signatory countries on September 28, 2026.
What are the Artemis Accords?
The Artemis Accords are a framework of common principles for civil exploration and use of space. NASA and the U.S. Department of State established them in 2020 alongside seven other initial signatory nations. Their stated purpose is to offer a shared vision of practical principles, guidelines and best practices that can support governance and safe, sustainable exploration.
Their scope is broader than the Moon. The principles address civil activities on the Moon, Mars, comets and asteroids. The name comes from NASA’s Artemis lunar exploration effort, but signing the Accords is not the same as joining a specific mission, receiving a lunar landing site or obtaining a guaranteed role in a program. The framework is about how signatories say they will approach civil space activity; it is not an assignment list for particular missions.
In practice, the document expresses how participating governments intend to approach cooperation: share information, help astronauts in distress, make scientific data public, coordinate operations and take account of other activities. It provides a common reference point for those commitments. It does not by itself settle every question about how a principle should be applied in a future dispute.
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Are the Artemis Accords a treaty?
No. The signed text characterizes the Accords as a political commitment. They are not a standalone treaty that replaces or amends the existing international agreements governing space. That distinction matters: the Accords set out shared practices and commitments for participating civil space agencies, while binding international law continues to come from the treaties that apply to the countries involved.
NASA’s original announcement said cooperative activities would be implemented through bilateral agreements. Those agreements can specify the responsibilities of the parties and other legal provisions for a particular collaboration. In other words, the Accords state broad principles; a separate agreement can define how a specific project is organized. This implementation approach makes it possible for participants to set out project-level responsibilities without treating the Accords themselves as a treaty.
NASA official Mike Gold, then acting associate administrator for international and interagency relations, described the intended value this way: “Fundamentally, the Artemis Accords will help to avoid conflict in space and on Earth by strengthening mutual understanding and reducing misperceptions. Transparency, public registration, deconflicting operations – these are the principles that will preserve peace.” That is a statement of intent from a NASA official, not independent evidence that the Accords have already prevented conflict.
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What principles do signatories commit to?
The Accords group practical commitments around responsible conduct and cooperation. The subjects range from peaceful activity and information sharing to emergency aid and the preservation of historic sites. The principles are not all operational instructions with a single fixed procedure; they describe expectations that signatories can put into practice through their activities and agreements.
- Peaceful purposes and transparency: Signatories commit to peaceful civil exploration and to making relevant information about their activities more transparent. Transparency is intended to help others understand what is happening and reduce the risk of misperceptions.
- Interoperability: They support compatible systems and make reasonable efforts to use or develop standards that allow equipment and activities to work together. The commitment is to reasonable efforts, not a promise that every system will be identical.
- Emergency assistance: They commit to providing assistance to astronauts in distress, consistent with the relevant existing international framework.
- Registration and coordination: They address the registration of space objects and coordination related to their activities. Registration and the sharing of operational information help other actors identify activities and plan around them.
- Scientific data: They commit to publicly releasing scientific data, supporting the sharing of knowledge gained through exploration.
- Space heritage: They recognize the importance of preserving historically significant sites and artifacts in outer space.
- Resources: They support the extraction and use of space resources in a manner consistent with the Outer Space Treaty.
- Debris and disposal: They address planning to mitigate orbital debris and dispose of spacecraft responsibly.
- Information sharing and harmful interference: Signatories commit to sharing information about operations and coordinating to avoid harmful interference. The text discusses temporary safety zones in this operational context, with free access and due regard remaining important principles.
Together, these commitments aim to make activities more predictable to other operators and to encourage cooperation. They address different stages of an activity: planning and designing compatible systems, communicating what is underway, responding to an emergency, sharing scientific results and considering what happens to spacecraft at the end of operations. They do not mean every detail is resolved in advance: implementation can depend on a mission’s circumstances, the agreements between its participants and the applicable international obligations.
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Do the Accords let a country claim part of the Moon?
The Accords do not grant a signatory sovereignty over a region of the Moon. Their text discusses resource extraction and operational coordination, but it does not turn a location into national territory. The resource principle expressly ties extraction and use to consistency with the Outer Space Treaty.
The distinction between using resources and claiming territory is central to the debate. The Accords describe resource activity as something that can take place under their stated principles; they do not provide a universally accepted answer to every legal question about how resource use should be interpreted. The sources describing NASA’s framework do not resolve all competing legal or diplomatic views, especially about how the framework may relate to countries that have not signed it.
For a reader, the careful conclusion is narrower than either “the Accords let countries own the Moon” or “there can be no disputes over lunar resources.” The text records a commitment among signatories to pursue resource activity consistently with the existing treaty framework. How particular activities fit that framework may remain a subject of interpretation and negotiation. In other words, the Accords set out a shared position among their participants; they do not make every disagreement about lunar resource use disappear.
What are safety zones, and are they territorial claims?
The Accords describe temporary safety zones associated with relevant operations. Their purpose is to support notification, coordination and avoidance of harmful interference around an activity. NASA’s account emphasizes that any such arrangements must respect free access to areas of outer space and the principle of due regard for other countries’ activities.
A safety zone is therefore not presented as a permanent border or a transfer of sovereignty. Its rationale is operational: other actors need enough information to avoid interfering with an activity, while the area remains open to access consistent with the Accords’ principles. The temporary duration matters: the concept is linked to the relevant operation, rather than an indefinite reservation of a place. The text does not make every future dispute about the size, duration or practical effect of a zone disappear. Those questions could depend on the operation and on how signatories interpret and apply their commitments.
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The broader obligation is to share information about activities and coordinate to avoid harmful interference. A zone is one mechanism discussed in that context, not a license to exclude others indefinitely. Treating it as a territorial claim would overstate what NASA says the framework establishes.
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The signed text affirms compliance with the 1967 Outer Space Treaty and refers to three other major agreements: the Rescue and Return Agreement, the Liability Convention and the Registration Convention. The Accords are framed as reinforcing and implementing obligations under this existing legal backdrop, rather than replacing it.
Their text also refers to coordination through multilateral forums, including the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. This places the framework alongside existing international processes, even as the Accords themselves remain a political commitment among their signatories.
It is useful to keep three layers separate:
- Existing international obligations: Treaties that apply to a country provide the binding legal framework for its space activities.
- Accords principles: Signatories express shared commitments and approaches for civil exploration and use.
- Project-specific arrangements: Bilateral agreements can set out responsibilities and legal provisions for particular cooperative activities.
That separation avoids two common errors: describing the Accords as if they independently create a comprehensive new space code, or treating their principles as meaningless simply because they are not a treaty. They set expectations for participating governments, while project agreements and existing law do different work. Their stated commitments and the legal questions that may arise in applying them are related, but they are not the same thing.
How many countries have signed?
NASA reported that 76 countries had signed the Artemis Accords as of September 28, 2026. NASA said San Marino became the 76th signatory on September 25, 2026. The figure is date-sensitive: it is NASA’s reported count at that time, not a permanent total.
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The number indicates the breadth of participation in the framework, but it does not establish that all signatories interpret every principle identically or have the same space capabilities. Nor does the total alone establish how the Accords will be applied in a particular mission or dispute. Because additional countries may sign, a country count should always be tied to a reporting date.
Does signing guarantee a country a role in an Artemis mission?
No. Signing expresses a commitment to the Accords’ principles; by itself, it does not prove that a country has secured a specific mission assignment. NASA’s September 2026 release said signatories had been invited to participate in its lunar exploration effort. The opportunities it described included scientific payloads, technology demonstrations, CubeSats and other capabilities.
An invitation to participate is an opportunity, not a guaranteed role for every country. A concrete contribution would depend on the relevant project arrangements and the capabilities and responsibilities agreed for that activity. The Accords provide a framework for cooperation, not an automatic allocation of hardware, crew seats, funding or mission tasks. A signature should therefore not be read as proof that a country has a reserved place on a flight or a specific deliverable.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the Accords establish—and what remains open
The Accords establish a shared political framework for signatories’ civil space activities and identify principles they commit to follow. Their text addresses transparency, interoperability, emergency aid, registration, public scientific data, heritage, resources, coordination, temporary safety zones and debris mitigation. The document also connects those principles to existing space treaties and provides for practical cooperation through separate agreements.
That does not make every legal or diplomatic question settled. In particular, the framework does not itself resolve all arguments about resource use, the application of safety zones or the relationship between signatories and non-signatories. The available NASA descriptions explain the agency’s framework and the Accords’ text; they are not an independent judgment on every interpretation or a record of proven effects. Readers should distinguish the principles the document states from predictions about how future governments, missions or disputes will apply them.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are the Artemis Accords?
They are a political commitment among signatories to shared principles for civil exploration and use of space, including the Moon, Mars, comets and asteroids. NASA and the U.S. Department of State established the framework in 2020 with seven other initial signatories.
Are the Artemis Accords a treaty?
No. The signed text calls them a political commitment. Existing treaties provide the binding international-law backdrop, while the Accords set out shared practices and commitments. NASA said cooperative activities would be implemented through bilateral agreements that can specify project responsibilities and legal provisions.
What rules do the Artemis Accords set for the Moon?
The principles cover peaceful activity, transparency, interoperability, astronaut assistance, registration and coordination, public release of scientific data, preservation of space heritage, resource use consistent with the Outer Space Treaty, coordination to avoid harmful interference, and debris mitigation and spacecraft disposal.
How many countries have signed the Artemis Accords?
NASA reported 76 signatories as of September 28, 2026, and said San Marino became the 76th on September 25. The count can change, so it should be read with its reporting date.
Do the Artemis Accords let countries claim parts of the Moon?
They do not grant signatories sovereignty over lunar territory. The Accords discuss resource activity and temporary operational safety zones, with resource use tied to consistency with the Outer Space Treaty and zones linked to an operation, free access and due regard. How these principles apply in future disputes is not settled by the framework alone.
Does signing guarantee a country a mission role?
No. NASA said signatories had been invited to participate in its lunar exploration effort, potentially through payloads, technology demonstrations, CubeSats and other capabilities. An invitation is not a guaranteed assignment for every signatory.
The Bottom Line
The Artemis Accords are a political commitment, not a treaty or a claim to lunar territory. They give signatories shared principles for civil exploration and practical cooperation, while existing treaties and project-specific agreements continue to play distinct roles. NASA’s reported total was 76 signatories on September 28, 2026; signing expresses commitment, not a guaranteed mission assignment.
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