Signatories of the Artemis Accords are scheduled to convene at the International Astronautical Congress in Turkey next week. The meeting, co-chaired by NASA Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson and Peruvian Space Agency Director Maj. Gen. Roberto Melgar Sheen, will address responsible space operations and debris management.
The coalition has expanded to 76 nations following the recent inclusion of Albania, Croatia, Côte d’Ivoire, and San Marino. According to NASA, at least half of the signatories have committed to scientific or technology demonstration payloads destined for the lunar surface, including contributions from the Italian Space Agency and JAXA.
The year 2026 saw the addition of 17 new signatories, following a record growth of 19 nations in 2024. Regional expansion has been notable in Europe, which added seven members, and Africa, where the number of participating nations increased from four to nine.
In other industry developments, NASA and Boeing have announced design upgrades for the Starliner spacecraft following the 2024 crewed test flight. An uncrewed mission is targeted for December, with a subsequent crewed flight to the International Space Station planned for mid-2028 under the command of Woody Hoburg.
