(AGENPARL) – mer 21 giugno 2023 June 21, 2023 
RELEASE 23-070
*NASA Welcomes Ecuador as 26th Artemis Accords Signatory*
From left to right, Ecuador Minster of Production, Foreign Trade, Investments
and Fisheries Julio José Prado, Ambassador of Ecuador to the United States
Ivonne A-Baki, Ecuador Minister of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility Gustavo
Manrique Miranda, U.S. Department of State Director of the Office of Space
Affairs Valda Vikmanis Keller, and NASA Associate Administrator for
International and Interagency Relations Karen Feldstein, pose for a photo
during an Artemis Accords signing ceremony, Wednesday, June 21, 2023, at the
Embassy of Ecuador in Washington. Ecuador is the twenty sixth country to sign
the Artemis Accords, which establish a practical set of principles to guide
space exploration cooperation among nations participating in NASA’s Artemis
program.
*/Credits: NASA/Keegan Barber/*
During a ceremony at the Ecuador embassy in Washington on Wednesday, Ecuador
became the 26th country to sign the Artemis Accords. Karen Feldstein, NASA
associate administrator for International and Interagency Relations,
participated in the signing ceremony for the agency, and Gustavo Manrique
Miranda, Ecuador’s foreign affairs minister, signed on behalf of Ecuador.
“Today, Ecuador joins the group of nations committed to safeguarding outer
space for the future,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “The
achievements made in in this golden era of exploration will benefit the
Artemis Generation – in our nations and around the globe.”
The Artemis Accords establish a practical set of principles to guide space
exploration cooperation among nations, including those participating in
NASA’s Artemis program.
“Signing the Artemis Accords sends a powerful message to the international
community that the Ecuadorian government is committed to pursue cutting-edge
efforts in technology and is open to innovation, investment, workforce
development to promote sustainable growth, and international collaboration to
help solve humanity’s greatest challenges,” said Ivonne Baki,
Ecuador's ambassador to the United States.
NASA, in coordination with the U.S. Department of State, established the
Artemis Accords [1] in 2020 together with seven other founding member
nations.
The Artemis Accords reinforce and implement key obligations in the
1967 Outer Space Treaty. They also reinforce the commitment by the United
States and signatory nations to 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.
“Ecuador today adds its voice to a diverse and growing set of nations
committed to the notion that humanity’s rapid expansion into space, toward
the Moon and destinations beyond, is peaceful, safe, and in full accordance
with international law,” said Feldstein.
Additional countries will sign the Artemis Accords in the months and years
ahead, as NASA continues to work with its international partners to establish
a safe, peaceful, and prosperous future in space. Working with both new and
existing partners will add new energy and capabilities to ensure the entire
world can benefit from our journey of exploration and discovery.
Learn more about the Artemis Accords at:
*https://www.nasa.gov/artemisaccords* [2]
-end-
*Press Contacts*
Jackie McGuinness / Claire O’Shea
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
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[1] https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-international-partners-advance-cooperation-with-first-signings-of-artemis-accords
[2] https://www.nasa.gov/artemisaccords