Chile has become the 47th nation to sign the Artemis Accords, a set of principles established in 2020 to guide space exploration. The signing ceremony took place at NASA Headquarters, with Chile's Minister of Science, Technology, Knowledge, and Innovation Aisén Etcheverry representing the country. Present at the event were Ambassador of Chile Juan Gabriel Valdés, State Department Acting Assistant Secretary Jennifer R. Littlejohn, and NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.
The United States has expressed its approval of Chile's decision to join the Accords. "The United States welcomes Chile’s signature of the Artemis Accords as an important step to increase our already robust science and technology cooperation," a statement read. It was noted that Chile's leadership in the space pillar of America's Partnership for Economic Prosperity positions it well to implement the Artemis principles aimed at ensuring a safe and peaceful future in space.
The U.S.-Chile relationship is longstanding, spanning over two centuries and grounded in shared values such as democratic governance and rule-of-law. The signing signifies an extension of this cooperation into outer space.
Alongside Chile, other countries affirming the Accords include Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, India, Israel, Italy Japan Lithuania Luxembourg Mexico Netherlands New Zealand Nigeria Peru Poland Republic Korea Romania Rwanda Saudi Arabia Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom Uruguay. The Department of State and NASA are responsible for leading U.S. efforts related to these agreements.
For further details on the Artemis Accords or media inquiries visit https://www.state.gov/artemis-accords/ or contact OES-Press@state.gov.
