NASA Welcomes Latvia as the 62nd State in the Artemis Agreement

Signing of the Artemis Agreement with the Republic of Latvia (photo: doc. NASA)

JAKARTA - The Republic of Latvia, a state in Northern Europe, signed the Artemis Agreement on Monday, April 20. The inauguration was held at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

By signing this agreement, Latvia officially became the 62nd country to support the space exploration mission. The signing of the Artemis Agreement was attended by representatives from the two countries, including NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman.

Isaacman welcomed Latvia's presence in this space exploration coalition. According to him, the presence of new members in the Artemis Agreement can strengthen the vision of transparent and peaceful exploration of the Moon.

"Each new signatory strengthens a coalition committed to transparent and peaceful space exploration," Isaacman said, quoted from NASA's official website on Tuesday, April 21.

The Minister of Education and Science of Latvia, Dace Melbārde, also attended the inauguration of the cooperation as the main signatory from Latvia. He was accompanied by a number of high officials from the Latvian Embassy and the US Department of State.

Melbārde stated that this participation is a major investment for the development of young researchers and innovators in Latvia. With the accession of Latvia, they will provide emergency assistance to NASA when needed.

They are also entitled to scientific data from the program. In addition, while Latvia is carrying out a mission in space, they must ensure that the activity does not interfere with Artemis operational activities.

NASA estimates that the number of countries that join will continue to increase in the coming months. The more countries that join, the smoother this long-term mission is believed to run.