By: Nana
Appiah Acquaye
Djibouti has become the 72nd
country and eighth African nation to sign the Artemis Accords, joining an
expanding group of countries committed to principles for peaceful, transparent
and coordinated exploration of the Moon, Mars and beyond.
The signing took place on
Monday, September 14, 2026, at NASA Headquarters in Washington, where
Djibouti’s Ambassador to the United States, Mohamed Siad Douale, signed the
agreement on behalf of the country. NASA Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson
hosted the ceremony, which was also attended by U.S. State Department Assistant
Secretary for African Affairs Frank Garcia.
The Artemis Accords
establish a practical set of principles intended to enhance transparency,
safety and coordination among nations participating in lunar and broader space
exploration activities.
Anderson said Djibouti was
joining the coalition at an important time as NASA works towards returning
Americans to the lunar surface, establishing an enduring presence there and
laying the foundation for future human exploration of Mars.
He said NASA would lead the
effort but would not do so alone, noting that Artemis Accords signatories would
have opportunities to contribute hardware, scientific payloads, technology
demonstrations, CubeSats and other capabilities to future missions.
Djibouti’s participation
builds on the country’s developing national space programme, which was launched
in 2020 and is managed by the Centre for Studies and Research of Djibouti under
the Ministry of Higher Education and Research.
The country launched its
first satellites, Djibouti 1A and Djibouti 1B, in 2023 and 2024 respectively.
Both satellites were placed into orbit aboard SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets launched
from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, marking an early example of
U.S. support for Djibouti’s space capabilities.
Douale said Djibouti’s
decision to join the Artemis Accords is intended to deepen its partnership with
the United States and the wider community of countries committed to peaceful
space cooperation.
He said Djibouti looks
forward to developing partnerships in scientific research, satellite
applications, education and technical training, while creating new
opportunities for students, researchers, engineers and entrepreneurs.
The Artemis Accords were
established in 2020 by NASA and the U.S. State Department together with seven
founding nations in response to growing government and private-sector interest
in lunar activities. The framework promotes peaceful and transparent exploration,
assistance to people in need, access to scientific data, non-interference
between space activities and the preservation of historically significant lunar
sites and artefacts.
