Sambut Panama And Austria, Artemis Mission Officially Supported By 50 Countries

JAKARTA Artemis, a lunar exploration program initiated by NASA, received support from two countries at once on Wednesday, December 11. The two countries that officially support Artemis are Panama and Austria.

NASA revealed that the two countries have signed a memorandum of the Artemis Agreement at NASA Headquarters, precisely in Washington. That way, Panama and Austria will support NASA's commitment to exploring outer space responsibly.

"NASA welcomes Panama and Austria in the Artemis Treaty community and celebrates 50 countries united by shared principles for safe and responsible space exploration," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.

Although the Artemis program has received support from 50 countries, Nelson said they are still open to other countries interested in joining. The more countries that join, NASA believes that exploration will be easier to do.

"More than ever, NASA has opened space to more countries and more people for the benefit of everyone. Together we build long-term and peaceful space exploration for the Artemis Generation," Nelson said.

This is an important milestone for NASA because four years ago, Artemis' mission was only supported by seven countries that helped the agency establish the contents of the Artemis Agreement and identified a series of principles of space use.

The Artemis Agreement is based on the Space Agreement, Rescue and Recovery Agreement, the best practices and norms of responsible behavior supported by NASA and partners, as well as agreements on the release of scientific data to the public.

From year to year, the number of supporters of the Artemis Mission continues to grow and this year NASA has won support from 17 new countries. Next year, NASA believes that more countries with the same goal will join the Artemis family.