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Türkiye signed NASA’s Artemis Accords on Monday, joining an international framework for peaceful and transparent space exploration as the country prepares for its first lunar mission.
Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacir inked the accords on Türkiye’s behalf during a ceremony at NASA headquarters in Washington, making Türkiye the 71st country to sign the agreement, the agency said in a statement.
NASA, the U.S. State Department and seven founding countries established the Artemis Accords in 2020 as governments and private companies increased their activity around the Moon.
The agreement calls on participating countries to conduct exploration peacefully and transparently, share scientific data, provide assistance when needed and avoid interfering with the activities of other nations.
It also includes principles for protecting historically significant sites and artifacts through the development of best practices.
According to NASA, signatories can take part in future lunar exploration efforts by contributing hardware, scientific payloads, technology demonstrations, CubeSats and other capabilities to Artemis missions.
AYAP-1, Türkiye’s first lunar mission, aims to put the country among the growing number of nations developing and launching their own satellites to the Moon.
In 2024, Alper Gezeravci became Türkiye’s first astronaut, traveling to the International Space Station aboard Axiom Mission 3 and conducting scientific research alongside NASA astronauts.
Later that year, Tuva Atasever flew aboard Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity on the Virgin Galactic 07 mission, where he conducted experiments and physiology research.
Türkiye’s accession also comes ahead of the International Astronautical Congress, which the country will host in Antalya in October.
Dozens of Artemis Accords signatories are expected to attend the event to discuss the future of peaceful and transparent space exploration, NASA said.
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