Finland signs on to Artemis Accords

The signing happened during the Winter Satellite Workshop in Espoo, Finland. The country's Economic Affairs Minister Wille Rydman said Finland has participated and has had a long interest in space exploration and looks forward to taking part in the next chapter of discovery.

"The signing of the Artemis Accords is in line with Finland's newly updated space strategy that highlights the importance of international cooperation and of strengthening partnerships with the United States and other allies," Rydman said in a statement released by NASA.

"We aim for this cooperation to open great opportunities for the Finnish space sector in the new era of space exploration and in the Artemis program."

The United States and seven other countries signed the original Artemis Accords in 2020 to set the principles for responsible exploration in anticipation for man's return to the moon to benefit humanity.

NASA said the Artemis Accords are in line with other international documents like the Outer Space Treaty that support best practices and responsible space exploration behavior.

Other countries with well-established space programs like Canada, India, and Japan are all part of the accords. It also includes numerous member states of the European Space Agency, like Austria, Belgium, Britain, Denmark, France, Germany and Italy.

Other countries with leading space agencies like Russia and China have yet to join.