Slovakia, Peru sign NASA's Artemis Accords on safe space exploration

May 30 (UPI) -- Slovakia and Peru on Thursday signed NASA's Artemis Accords, making them the latest in a rapid number of countries to join the U.S.-led agreement on the safe exploration of space.

Both countries signed the accords at NASA's Washington headquarters, but in separate ceremonies with Peru the first to add its name to the accords on Thursday followed by Slovakia, making them the 41st and 42nd countries to do so.

Tomáš Drucker, minister of education, research, development, and youth signed the accords on behalf of Slovakia at NASA's headquarters in Washington with the space agency's administrator, Bill Nelson, among the dignitaries in attendance.

"One small signature for a man, one giant leap in space cooperation," Radovan Javorcik, Slovakia's ambassador to the United States who attended the signing ceremony, said on X while rephrasing U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong's famous quote on being the first man on the moon.

"Sorry, N. Armstrong, for wreaking your quote," Javorcik added.

Founded by NASA four years ago, the Artemis Accords establish principles for peaceful space exploration based on the 1967 Outer Space Treaty. It is also in conjunction with NASA's Artemis campaign to land the first woman, the first person of color and the U.S. agency's first partner astronaut on the moon.

"Slovakia perceives the Artemis Accords as a great opportunity for this generation to positively define guidelines and principles for the responsible and sustainable exploration and use of outer space," Drucker said in a statement.

Javier González-Olaechea, foreign minister, signed the accords on behalf of Peru, saying in a statement that by doing so the South American nation "seeks not only to express a common vision with the other member countries but also to establish cooperation mechanisms with these countries, especially with the United States, to participate in activities of exploration and sustainable use of resources found in space, as well as to promote aerospace scientific development in our country."

The ceremonies were held after Lithuania became the 40th accords signee on May 15.

More countries are expected to follow.