Estonia became the 45th country to join the USA’s National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Artemis Accords which aims to safeguard responsible space exploration.

Minister of Economy and Industry Erkki Keldo signed an agreement with NASA Administrator Bill Nelson at the 75th International Astronautical Congress in Milan.

Estonia became the 45th nation to join the United States and other signatories agreeing to the safe, transparent, and responsible exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

“We welcome Estonia’s signing of the Artemis Accords, which will open the door for more international collaboration,” said Nelson. “This decision also strengthens our family of nations, united by a common cause, and builds on our commitment to explore space for the benefit of humanity under the sound principles of the accords.”

“Estonia is well known as the leading country in e-governance, and it is a great honor for us to enter a next level in space exploration, said Keldo.

“We are more than interested to share our knowledge with the global space community to make future collaboration in space exploration a success for humankind. I am sure that joining the Artemis Accords will open attractive opportunities to Estonian enterprises too, to share their valuable knowledge and competencies,” he added.

The agreement with NASA open up new business opportunities 

With the Artemis agreement signed with NASA, Estonia will have the opportunity to participate in international cooperation aimed at space exploration and utilization. The cooperation agreement helps create a market for Estonian deep tech companies.

“Several Estonian companies and research institutions, such as CrystalSpace, UpCatalyst, the University of Tartu, and TalTech, are already developing technologies aimed at the Moon or Mars,” said Minister Keldo, adding that joining the agreements also supports Estonia’s space policy vision.

In 2021, the Estonian company CrystalSpace supplied Maxar with stereo cameras for the lunar lander, which is part of NASA’s Artemis program mission. “This opened the door slightly, but selling to the US market has been challenging. The share of technology going to the Moon is rapidly increasing, and we receive monthly inquiries for cameras for lunar missions. Joining the Artemis agreement creates an opportunity to facilitate cooperation with other US companies and missions in the future,” said the company’s CEO, Pätris Halapuu

The minister also met with the Director general of the European Space Agency Josef Aschbacher and the Executive Director at the EU Agency for the Space Programme Rodrigo da Costa.

The International Astronautical Congress (IAC) is organized by the International Astronautical Federation. It is the most important event in the space sector, involving almost all countries and major companies operating in the space field. The congress had more than 8000 registered participants and more than 400 exhibitors at the accompanying exhibition. The IAC is an annual event, with the first IAC held in 1950 in Paris. Estonia has participated since 2008.

GOOD TO KNOW

• In 2020, the United States and seven other nations were the first to sign the Artemis Accords, which identified an early set of principles promoting the beneficial use of space for humanity.
• The accords are grounded in the Outer Space Treaty and other agreements including the Registration Convention, the Rescue and Return Agreement, as well as best practices and norms of responsible behavior that NASA and its partners have supported, including the public release of scientific data.
• The commitments of the Artemis Accords and efforts by the signatories to advance implementation of these principles support the safe and sustainable exploration of space. More countries are expected to sign in the coming weeks and months.

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