Uzbekistan Becomes the 77th Artemis Accords Signatory
The Republic of Uzbekistan became the 77th signatory of the Artemis Accords at a ceremony in Samarkand, committing to the practical principles that guide safe, transparent and responsible civil space exploration. Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov signed on the country's behalf.
What that signature commits Uzbekistan to is specific: exploring peaceably and transparently, rendering aid to those in need, enabling access to scientific data for all of humanity, ensuring its activities do not interfere with others', and preserving historically significant sites and artifacts through shared best practices.
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The accords were established in 2020, when NASA and the State Department joined seven other founding nations amid growing government and private interest in lunar activity. What they introduced was a first set of practical principles for safety and coordination between nations exploring the Moon, Mars and beyond — a rulebook rather than a single mission, which is exactly why the signatory list can keep growing.
Signing principles is the cheap half, though. The expensive half is hardware, and Uzbekistan's program is starting at the smallest possible scale: students there are working to develop and launch the country's first CubeSat by 2028. Agreeing to preserve heritage sites on the Moon is easy when you have not yet put anything in orbit.