Côte d’Ivoire and San Marino signed the NASA Artemis Accords on September 24 and 25, becoming the 75th and 76th nations to join the pact. The agreements establish shared principles for peaceful space exploration but do not guarantee direct funding or automatic inclusion in specific lunar missions.
The global framework for lunar and planetary exploration expanded across two consecutive days in late September as two more nations formally endorsed the NASA Artemis Accords. Côte d’Ivoire joined the initiative on September 24 at the Africa Space Expo ASPEX 2026 conference hosted by the African Union in Abidjan. The following day, September 25, San Marino added its signature during a ceremony held in Rimini.
Ministerial Signatures in Abidjan and Rimini
The diplomatic milestones brought the total number of signatory countries to 76. In Abidjan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Adama Diawara signed the document on behalf of Côte d’Ivoire. One day later in Rimini, Minister of Industry and Technological Research Rossano Fabbri executed the agreement for San Marino.
These signings reflect distinct national trajectories toward space engagement. Côte d’Ivoire builds upon a partnership with NASA that began in 2019 focusing on Earth observation and geodesy—the measurement of Earth’s shape, gravity, and motion. The nation established its own national space agency in 2025 to coordinate domestic projects spanning astronomy, space weather, satellite navigation, communications, and Earth monitoring.
Infrastructure Differences and Future Contributions
While Côte d’Ivoire possesses an established domestic agency and years of collaborative scientific groundwork, San Marino enters the accords without comparable domestic space infrastructure. Nevertheless, NASA noted that San Marino is already reviewing options for participating in future lunar initiatives.
Participation in the accords remains open to diverse forms of technical contribution regardless of a country’s current orbital footprint. Deputy NASA Administrator Matt Anderson emphasized that all signatory nations can plug into human lunar exploration through specific technical avenues.
All participants in the Artemis Accords can connect to human delivery to the Moon through scientific instruments, technological demonstrations, satellites, and other developments.
Origins and Practical Boundaries of the Accords
The Artemis Accords originated in 2020 through a joint effort by NASA, the U.S. Department of State, and seven founding nations amid surging international and commercial interest in lunar exploration. The framework establishes practical guidelines for transparent, safe, and peaceful operations on the Moon, Mars, and other celestial bodies.
Agency officials stress a key distinction regarding the paperwork: signing does not grant automatic funding or guarantee a slot on any specific flight. Instead, the agreement serves as a diplomatic baseline, formally aligning participating governments with shared principles of responsible space governance and opening formal channels for future collaboration with NASA and partner agencies.