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U.S. Welcomes Finland Joining the Artemis Accords


(FILE) Auroral activity above antenna field at Finnish Meteorological Institute's Arctic Space Center in Sodankyla, Finland, on March 16, 2017.
(FILE) Auroral activity above antenna field at Finnish Meteorological Institute's Arctic Space Center in Sodankyla, Finland, on March 16, 2017.

“The United States and Finland enjoy an enduring partnership, rooted in our shared democratic values and longstanding commitment to space research and innovation,” said a statement from the U.S. State Department.

U.S. Welcomes Finland Joining the Artemis Accords
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The United States welcomes Finland’s decision to become the 53rd country to sign the Artemis Accords. These accords were initially launched in October 2020 by Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States. The Artemis Accords are a set of non-binding principles designed to guide civil exploration of the Moon, Mars, comets, and asteroids in the 21st century.

“The United States and Finland enjoy an enduring partnership, rooted in our shared democratic values and longstanding commitment to space research and innovation,” said a statement from the U.S. Department of State.

The Artemis Accords bring together nations with a common vision for peaceful, sustainable, and transparent cooperation in space. This includes sharing scientific data in a timely manner. The promotion of interoperability enhances the potential for space exploration that is safe and robust among cooperating nations.

The accords also describe how all signatories commit to preserve historically significant human or robotics landing sites, artifacts, spacecraft and other evidence of activity on celestial bodies.

The accords also provide direction for taking reasonable efforts to provide emergency assistance to personnel in outer space who are in distress.

Countries who signed the Artemis Accords also commit to working together to register space objects, mitigate orbital debris and safely dispose spacecrafts. Along with responsible use of space resources, the accords call for the proper notification of activities in space, lowering the risk of harmful interference.

These accords are grounded in the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, which had the goal of preventing a “new form of colonial competition” and the possible damage that self-seeking exploitation might cause during the Cold War.

“Finland’s signing of the Artemis Accords,” said the statement, “demonstrates a shared vision of peaceful, responsible space exploration and a willingness to work hand-in-hand with the international community toward a brighter future.”

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