Bangladesh becomes the 54th country to join NASA’s Artemis Accord

Bangladesh has become the second South Asian country, after India, and the 54th in the world to join the Artemis Accord of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the United States. India joined the Artemis Accords as the 27th country on 21st June 2023.

Artemis is a NASA-led effort to explore the moon, establish a human settlement on the moon and explore the planet Mars and beyond.

The signing ceremony took place on the sidelines of the Bangladesh Investment Summit 2025 at the InterContinental Dhaka Hotel in Dhaka.

About the Artemis Accord 

NASA established the Artemis Accord in coordination with the United States government’s State Department (the foreign ministry) on 13 October 2020.

The seven founding countries of the Artemis Accord were Canada, Italy, Japan, Australia, the United Kingdom, Luxembourg, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States of America. 

Aim and Purpose of the Artemis Accord 

• It is a non-binding set of principles designed to promote cooperation in the peaceful exploration and use of the Moon, Mars, Comets, and Asteroids in the 21st century.
• It promotes the peaceful use of outer space in accordance with the provisions of the Outer Space Treaty of 1967.
• The member countries of the Accord are expected to provide necessary assistance to the Rescue of Astronauts, the Return of Astronauts and the Return of Objects Launched into Outer Space. 
• It facilitates the sharing of scientific data with the global community, ensuring that the entire world can benefit from space exploration.

Schedule of the Artemis Programme 

Under the Artemis Accord, NASA has announced a map of future space exploration to be undertaken collectively by Artemis Accord members.

• Artemis I-  Unmanned Space flights to study the Moon. It was launched in November 2022.
• Artemis II- 10-day manned mission to the Moon, which will orbit the Moon and prepare for the future landing of humans on the Moon.
• Artemis III- Humans will land on the South Pole of the Moon, which is believed to have water. They will spend around a week on the Moon's surface.
• Artemis IV- A lunar Space station will be set up. Humans will live and work in the lunar space station.

Member Countries of the Artemis Accord 

As of 17 April 2025 the following 54 countries are the member of the Artemis Accord- India, Bangladesh, Angola, Argentina, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Colombia, , Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, Romania, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Armenia, Australia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Panama, Peru, Poland, the Republic of Korea,, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Uruguay.

About NASA 

NASA was established in 1958 by the United States government.

It is the world’s premier space agency, engaged in space exploration and research.

NASA launches its space rockets from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station or Kennedy Space Centre, near Tampa Bay in Florida.

Administrator- Janet Petro (Acting)

Headquarters: Washington, D.C