Croatia Joins the Artemis Accords

Croatia has signed the Artemis Accords, an international framework for the peaceful, safe, and transparent exploration and use of the Moon, Mars, comets, and asteroids.

The agreement was signed today in Zagreb on behalf of the Croatian Government by the Minister of Science, Education, and Youth, Radovan Fuchs. The signing ceremony was attended by the US Ambassador Nicole McGraw, NASA Representative for Europe Gregory Mann, and the Director-Directorate for Science and Technology at the Ministry, Hrvoje Meštrić.

The Artemis Accords were launched by the US and seven other nations in 2020. Albania became the 73rd signatory two days ago, making Croatia the 74th country to join.

"To sign the accords means to explore peacefully and transparently, to render assistance, to ensure free access to scientific data from which all mankind can learn, and to preserve our heritage," Mann said.

What Are the Artemis Accords?

The Artemis Accords do not grant countries pieces of the Moon or other celestial bodies. Instead, they are a set of principles by which nations commit to the peaceful and transparent exploration of space, mutual assistance, sharing scientific data, avoiding interference with other missions, and preserving historically important sites and artifacts.

The principles build upon the existing Outer Space Treaty and other international agreements governing nations' activities beyond Earth.

The accords are named after NASA's Artemis program, through which the US aims to return humans to the surface of the Moon and gradually establish a long-term human presence there.

With the Artemis II mission this year, NASA successfully sent humans around the Moon once again, marking the first time in over half a century. The current plan projects the return of astronauts to the lunar surface itself in 2028.

The last humans to walk on the Moon were the astronauts of the Apollo 17 mission in December 1972.

In Zagreb, Mann stated that Croatia's signing of the agreement is "one small step for Croatia, but one giant leap toward our future of humanity in deep space."

US Ambassador Nicole McGraw noted that Croatian-American relations have entered a "golden age."

"The United States believes that international cooperation is essential to achieving these ambitious goals. We need partners like Croatia who bring cutting-edge technologies, scientific expertise, and fresh perspectives," she said.

Fuchs: Croatia is Strong in Software and Satellite Data Processing

Fuchs stated that the signing opens up additional opportunities for the development of Croatia's domestic space sector.

"I expect a wonderful cooperation and development of the space research program in Croatia with the assistance of the most advanced scientific nations, as well as the Artemis program itself," he said.

According to him, Croatia possesses particularly strong capabilities in computer sciences, software development, and the processing of data obtained via satellites, while it is less prominent in manufacturing space equipment and other hardware components.

Croatia already collaborates with the European Space Agency (ESA). Since 2023, it has held the status of an ESA European Cooperating State, which allows Croatian companies and scientific institutions to participate in certain agency programs and tenders. Croatia is not yet a full member of ESA.

Meštrić noted today that through cooperation with ESA, Croatian companies and scientific organizations have so far been approved for more than 70 projects worth over nine million euros, while Croatia has invested over ten million euros into ESA programs.

Source: Hina