Oman signs Artemis Accords

ORLANDO, Fla. — Oman signed the Artemis Accords for responsible space exploration Jan. 26, becoming the 61st nation to do so.

Said al-Maawali, Oman’s minister of transportation, communications and information technology, signed the Accords at an event during the Middle East Space Conference in Muscat. Representing the United States at the signing were Ana Escrogima, U.S. ambassador to Oman, and NASA Deputy Associate Administrator Casey Swails.

NASA prematurely announced Oman’s signing in a social media post by Administrator Jared Isaacman Jan. 23. “Welcome to the Artemis Accords, Oman,” he wrote. NASA later amended the post to read, “On Monday, we welcome Oman to the Artemis Accords.”

“As you join the Accords, you join the U.S. and our other partners in ensuring the peaceful exploration of space for generations to come,” Isaacman said in a video accompanying the post that was also shown at the signing ceremony.

Oman has a small but growing space presence, including plans announced the same day at the conference to buy a small geostationary communications satellite from Astranis for launch later this year, as well as a larger satellite from Airbus ordered last November. The country is also developing a spaceport that has attracted launch vehicle developers, including Spanish company PLD Space.

Oman is the second country to sign the Accords this year, after Portugal did so Jan. 11. The Artemis Accords have far outpaced a competing initiative, the principles associated with the China-led International Lunar Research Station.

The growth in Artemis Accords signatories represents “a growing global consensus in support of the Artemis vision of a peaceful and prosperous future in space,” said Mike Gold, president of Redwire Space and a former NASA official who helped lead development of the accords, after Portugal’s signing earlier this month.

“In stark contrast, China’s coalition for its International Lunar Research Station has failed to add a national partner since 2024,” he said. “With the upcoming launch of Artemis 2 and the new leadership of Jared Isaacman, I expect the Artemis Accords family of nations to continue to grow and deepen.”