NASA Celebrates as Artemis Accords Surpasses 75 Signatories 

Marking a significant expansion in the number of signatories to the Artemis Accords, NASA welcomed Albania, Croatia, Côte d’Ivoire, and San Marino, bringing total participation to 76 countries. 

“Our momentum reflects a growing commitment to peaceful, responsible exploration and a shared understanding that the future in space will be shaped by those willing to lead,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “Nearly one-third of all signatories have joined since the start of President Trump’s second term. As the President directs NASA to return Americans to the lunar surface and lay the groundwork for Mars, we are strengthening a coalition of partners who share our values and are ready to help shape the future of exploration.”

The recent surge in growth reflects one of the most rapid expansions of international cooperation in civil space history. Nearly 40% of the world’s nations are now collaborating with NASA to build a transparent, peaceful, responsible, and safe approach to space exploration. Nearly two-thirds of countries that signed the foundational 1967 Outer Space Treaty also have signed the Artemis Accords.  

What began as an informal coalition of a small group of countries has developed into a large, structured community guided by the Signatories Group Method of Operations, adopted in 2024. Under this framework, the group meets twice annually, once at a technical workshop and once at a Principals’ Meeting during the International Astronautical Congress (IAC). Virtual sessions are added throughout the year to support implementation. 

As a result, participating countries have advanced agreed-upon recommendations on noninterference, interoperability, scientific data sharing, and registration practices. 

Two major workshops this year further strengthened technical alignment. Signatories reviewed their planned lunar landings and orbital missions and took part in hands‑on sessions focused on open science and practical tools for sharing lunar data. Experts from dozens of countries worked through real-world examples of how to make mission information easier to find, use, and share, from releasing lunar science data to adopting common standards that reduce interference between missions.  

This year’s Artemis Accords Principals’ Meeting at IAC in Antalya, Türkiye, beginning Monday, Oct. 5, will be co-chaired by NASA Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson and Major General Roberto Melgar Sheen, director of the Peruvian Space Agency (CONIDA). The meeting will examine ways to support emerging space nations and disseminate lunar debris‑mitigation recommendations. 

NASA continues to put the principles of the Artemis Accords into practice. With the creation of the Moon Base, NASA has invited every Artemis Accords signatory to participate in our return to the Moon through scientific payloads, technology demonstrations, CubeSats, and other capabilities. 

The United States, led by NASA and the U.S. Department of State, and seven other nations launched the Artemis Accords in 2020 to guide growing global interest in lunar activity. The accords established the first set of practical principles to enhance safety and coordination as nations explore the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Signatories commit to: 

• Explore peaceably and transparently 
• Render aid to those in need 
• Enable access to scientific data 
• Ensure activities do not interfere with others 
• Preserve historically significant sites and artifacts by developing best practices 

More nations are expected to join the Artemis Accords in the months and years ahead as NASA continues working with partners worldwide to secure a safe, peaceful, and prosperous future in space. 

Learn more about the Artemis Accords at: 

https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-accords

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Camille Gallo / Elizabeth Shaw  
Headquarters, Washington  
202-358-1600  
camille.m.gallo@nasa.gov / elizabeth.a.shaw@nasa.gov  

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Jennifer M. Dooren

Meet NASA’s Artemis II Crew During Houston Public Event

The four astronauts of NASA’s Artemis II mission will participate in an event hosted by industry and community partners at the University of Houston to discuss their mission around the Moon aboard the Orion spacecraft. It will be the first event in Houston for the public following their lunar mission earlier this year and marks the conclusion of their post-flight campaign.

Astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch of NASA and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen will share highlights from their mission at 7 p.m. CDT Wednesday, Sept. 30, during the free, public event at University of Houston’s Fertitta Center. Additionally, the National Aeronautic Association will recognize the crew for surpassing the record for human spaceflight’s farthest distance traveled, previously set by the Apollo 13 mission in 1970.

Media are invited to attend a brief question and answer session with the Artemis II crew at 5:45 p.m. prior to the public presentation. Media interested in attending must RSVP no later than 12 p.m. on Sept. 30 to Kenna Pell at: kenna.m.pell@nasa.gov.  

NASA’s historic Artemis II mission launched April 1 and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on April 10. The crew members were the first astronauts to launch on the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, flying aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft. During their record-setting mission, the astronauts traveled 252,756 miles from Earth, farther than any humans have traveled before.

As part of the Golden Age of innovation and exploration, NASA will send Artemis astronauts on increasingly difficult missions to explore more of the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, establish an enduring human presence on the lunar surface, and to build on our foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars.

Learn more about the Artemis program at:

                                         https://www.nasa.gov/artemis
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Kenna Pell
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
kenna.m.pell@nasa.gov

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Wendy K. Avedisian

What You Need to Know About NASA’s SpaceX Crew-13 Mission

Four crew members are set to launch to the International Space Station as part of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-13 mission to perform research, technology demonstrations, and maintenance aboard the orbiting laboratory.

NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney will support the mission as spacecraft commander and pilot, respectively, joined by CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Joshua Kutryk and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov as mission specialists. Crew-13 will lift off no earlier than 11:10 a.m. EDT, Thursday, Oct. 1, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida and join the space station’s Expedition 75 crew. Throughout its long‑duration mission, the crew will conduct science experiments to advance research and technology for future Moon and Mars missions and improve life on Earth.

“During the mission, the crew will help researchers treat heart disease and Parkinson’s disease by studying human stem-cell derived tissues that can help improve medicine, disease modeling, and pharmaceutical testing,” said Dana Weigel, manager of NASA’s Low Earth Orbit Program at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “They also will explore crop production, which is important for longer-duration spaceflight missions,  help us better understand blood flow abnormalities that we see in space, and test new diagnostic medical equipment for monitoring crew health.”

The flight is the 13th crew rotation mission with SpaceX to the space station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Office.

Support teams continue to progress through Dragon preflight milestones for Crew-13 and are preparing a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket booster for its third flight. Up in orbit, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 is preparing to return to Earth after a brief handover once Crew-13 arrives.

After all rocket and spacecraft system checkouts are complete and all components are certified, teams will mate Dragon to Falcon 9 in SpaceX’s hangar at the launch site. The integrated spacecraft and rocket will then roll to the pad, where it will be raised vertically for a dry dress rehearsal with the crew and an integrated static fire test before launch.

The quartet will fly aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft named Grace. This spacecraft previously flew in summer 2025 in support of private astronaut mission Axiom Mission 4.

Meet Crew-13

Commander Jessica Watkins

This will be the second flight to the space station for Watkins, who was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2017. She grew up in Lafayette, Colorado, and earned an undergraduate degree in geological and environmental sciences from Stanford University, as well as a doctorate in geology from the University of California, Los Angeles. As a geologist, Watkins studied the Martian surface and was a member of the Curiosity rover science team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. She first launched to the space station aboard NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission, spending a total of 170 days in space across Expeditions 67/68 in 2022. She will be the first NASA astronaut to launch twice aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. Follow Jessica on X and Instagram.

Pilot Luke Delaney

Selected as a NASA astronaut in 2021, Delaney earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at the University of North Florida and a master’s degree in aerospace engineering at the Naval Postgraduate School. The Florida native is a distinguished naval aviator who participated in exercises throughout the Asia-Pacific region and flew missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. As a test pilot, Delaney evaluated developmental aircraft systems and served as a test pilot instructor. He also worked as a research pilot at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, where he supported airborne science missions. This is Delaney’s first spaceflight.

Mission Specialist Joshua Kutryk

The Crew-13 mission also is the first spaceflight for Kutryk. Prior to his selection as a CSA astronaut in 2017, he served as a CF-18 fighter pilot, flying missions in support of Canada’s NATO, U.N., and North American Aerospace Defense Command commitments. A native of Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, Kutryk worked as an experimental and operational test pilot at the Aerospace Engineering Test Establishment in Cold Lake, Alberta. Kutryk received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario, and is a distinguished graduate of the United States Air Force Test Pilot school in Edwards, California. He has master’s degrees in space studies, flight test engineering, and defense studies. Follow Josh on X and Instagram.

Mission Specialist Sergey Teteryatnikov

This mission will be Teteryatnikov’s first trip to the orbiting laboratory. He graduated from the Naval Academy, St. Petersburg, Russia, in 2011 as an engineer specializing in ship power plant operations. Before his selection as a test cosmonaut, Teteryatnikov served in various naval engineering roles, including undersea vessels and specialized engine room operations. He was selected for the Gagarin Research and Test Cosmonaut Training Center Cosmonaut Corps in 2021 and has served as a test cosmonaut since 2023.

Mission Overview

Following liftoff, Falcon 9 will accelerate Dragon to approximately 17,500 mph. Once in orbit, the crew, along with NASA and SpaceX mission control, will monitor a series of maneuvers guiding Dragon to the forward-facing port of the station’s Harmony module. The spacecraft is designed to dock autonomously, but the crew can take manual control if necessary.

After docking, Crew-13 will be welcomed aboard the station by the seven-member Expedition 75 crew, including NASA astronauts Jessica Meir, Anil Menon, and Jack Hathaway, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov, Andrey Fedyaev, and Anna Kikina. After a short handover period, the crew will bid farewell to the Dragon spacecraft carrying NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 crew of Meir, Hathaway, Adenot, and Fedyaev.

While aboard the orbiting laboratory, Crew-13 will welcome NASA’s SpaceX’s 35th commercial resupply mission in the fall for station resupply and the delivery of International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Arrays. The crew also will welcome NASA’s Northrop Grumman Commercial Resupply Services-25 mission later this year.

For more than 25 years, people have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. The space station helps NASA understand and overcome the challenges of human spaceflight, expand commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit, and build on the foundation for long-duration missions to the Moon, as part of the Artemis program, and to Mars.

Learn more about the space station, its research, and crew, at:

https://www.nasa.gov/station

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Mark A. Garcia

Space Station View of Earth at Night

This nighttime view of the United States, dotted with city lights looking toward New York City (center), was taken at approximately 3:40 a.m. local time on Sept. 8, 2026, from the International Space Station as it orbited 259 miles above Earth.

Image credit: NASA/Jessica Meir

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HQ Web Team