WASHINGTON — Denmark is the latest country to john the Artemis Accords, the 48th country to sign the document outlining best practices for sustainable space exploration.
NASA announced Nov. 13 that Christina Egelund, Denmark’s minister of higher education and science, signed the Accords in a ceremony in Copenhagen. Alan Leventhal, U.S. ambassador to Denmark, represented the country at the event, with NASA Administrator Bill Nelson providing remarks by video.
“The signing of the Accords is in line with the Danish government’s upcoming strategy for space research and innovation,” Egelund said in a statement. “As part of the strategy, Denmark seeks to strengthen ties with our allies such as the United States.”
Denmark brings the total number of countries who have signed the Accords to 48, including five since the beginning of October.
The number of countries “has grown very quickly this year,” said Karen Feldstein, NASA associate administrator for international and interagency relations, in a speech Nov. 12 at the Beyond Earth Symposium. Fifteen countries have signed this year.
“While the actual number is really not the point, more and more signatories now represent every continent on Earth and are taking on the most pressing issues of their implementation,” she said.
She noted there is a “bit of a narrative” comparing the Artemis Accords to the China-led International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) effort. Senegal signed a memorandum of understanding to join ILRS in September, becoming the 13th nation to do so.
Participation in ILRS includes agreeing to a set of principles that, while not released, are believed to be similar to those in the Artemis Accords. “From my perspective, China speaking about principles for responsible behavior in space is a good thing,” Feldstein said. “An apparent emulation of the Accords, even if it is only rhetoric, is a powerful public acknowledgement of NASA’s assertion of how we go is just as important as what we do, and that the global community now insists that exploration be conducted safely and sustainably.”
She noted that the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs held a forum in June to discuss sustainable lunar activities that featured the United States, China, Russia and other nations. “Hearing China’s words that day,” she recalled, “you could reasonably come away thinking that there are no differences between the U.S. approach and the Chinese approach and how our respective partners will view responsible space exploration at the moon and Mars.”
One difference, though, is that China has yet to publish the ILRS principles. “I look forward to the world knowing more about the ILRS and the principles espoused therein in the spirit of transparency, which is a core principle of the Accords,” she noted, “so that nations can assess that for themselves.”
