The Republic of San Marino became the 76th nation to sign the Artemis Accords on Friday, Sept. 25, at a ceremony in Rimini, Italy, one day after Côte d'Ivoire joined as the 75th signatory in Abidjan. The NASA announcement said Minister of Industry and Technological Research Rossano Fabbri signed for San Marino, with NASA Europe representative Gregory Mann and U.S. Consul General in Florence Joseph Tordella attending.

The back-to-back signings cap an unusually busy stretch. The U.S. State Department said Türkiye became the 71st signatory on Aug. 31, and Djibouti followed as the 72nd. Albania signed at NASA Headquarters on Sept. 21 as the 73rd nation, and Croatia became the 74th in Zagreb on Sept. 23, so five nations have joined in less than four weeks.

The accords matter beyond diplomacy because they set shared expectations for how countries behave on and around the Moon at a time when government and commercial lunar missions are multiplying. Their commitments cover transparency, emergency assistance, open scientific data, avoiding harmful interference, and preserving historically significant sites.

Two Signings in Two Days

Côte d'Ivoire signed on Thursday, Sept. 24, during the Africa Space Expo ASPEX 2026 in Abidjan, with Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Adama Diawara signing for the country and U.S. Chargé d'affaires Junaid Munir witnessing, NASA said. Tidiane Outtara, director general of the Space Agency of Côte d'Ivoire, called the signing "important for Côte d'Ivoire's ambitions and for the rest of the African Union members."

The West African nation already works with NASA on Earth science. Since 2019, its National Office of Technical Development and NASA have collaborated on Earth observation and geodesy, the science of measuring Earth's shape, gravity and movement. Côte d'Ivoire created its national space agency in 2025 to coordinate work in Earth observation, space weather, astronomy, satellite navigation and communications.

San Marino, one of the world's smallest countries, framed its decision around cooperation. Fabbri said signatory states will make "a tangible contribution to promoting international cooperation in space." NASA Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson said NASA has invited every signatory to take part in its return to the Moon through scientific payloads, technology demonstrations and small satellites known as CubeSats.

Principles for a Crowded Moon

NASA and the State Department established the Artemis Accords in 2020 with seven other founding nations, responding to growing interest in lunar activity from governments and private companies. Signatories commit to explore peaceably and transparently, render aid to those in need, enable access to scientific data, ensure their activities do not interfere with others, and preserve historically significant sites and artifacts by developing best practices.

Several of those commitments amount to environmental stewardship for a place with no wind or rain to erase human traces. Apollo landing sites and hardware sit on an airless surface, and the heritage principle is meant to keep future missions from damaging them. The interference and data-sharing commitments aim to reduce the risk that one mission's landing, dust, or operations disrupt another's, and to make lunar science more widely available.

The accords are a nonbinding set of principles rather than a treaty, and they sit alongside existing international space law rather than replacing it. Signing does not commit a country to fund missions or send astronauts. NASA describes signing as opening the door to future lunar cooperation, and the practical value for smaller nations often lies in access to partnerships, data, and payload opportunities.

A Coalition Growing Month by Month

The pace of expansion has accelerated. Britannica notes that 61 countries had joined by January 2026. By Sept. 25, the count had reached 76, meaning 15 nations have signed in about nine months.

Africa has been a notable source of growth. Before Côte d'Ivoire joined, the State Department's list of signatories already included eight African nations: Angola, Botswana, Djibouti, Mauritius, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda and Senegal. NASA's announcements have repeatedly tied the signings to its plans for an enduring presence on the lunar surface, which Anderson described in the San Marino release as a Moon Base that President Trump has directed NASA to build.

Limits of a Nonbinding Framework

For most readers, the signings have no immediate effect on daily life. Their significance is longer term: they shape the norms that will govern how dozens of nations and companies share the Moon's limited landing areas, water-ice deposits and scientific sites as missions increase. The principles also give smaller space programs a structured way to join larger missions without building their own rockets.

There are real limits. The accords do not resolve every legal question about using lunar resources, and not every spacefaring nation has signed. Russia and China, both major space powers, are not parties. Disputes over interference or heritage protection would be handled through consultation among signatories rather than an enforcement body. How well the principles work will depend on how nations apply them once more landers and rovers are operating near one another.

The next milestones to watch are additional signing ceremonies and the first missions that put the interference and heritage principles to a practical test. San Marino and Côte d'Ivoire's signings bring the coalition to 76 nations, a sign that the U.S.-led framework for lunar exploration continues to widen well beyond traditional space powers.

What Readers Want to Know

What are the Artemis Accords?

They are a set of nonbinding principles established in 2020 by NASA, the State Department, and seven other founding nations to guide peaceful, transparent exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

When did San Marino and Côte d'Ivoire sign?

Côte d'Ivoire signed on Sept. 24, 2026, in Abidjan as the 75th nation. San Marino signed on Sept. 25 in Rimini, Italy, as the 76th.

How many countries have signed the Artemis Accords?

With San Marino, 76 nations have signed, up from 71 when Türkiye joined on Aug. 31, 2026. Djibouti, Albania, and Croatia signed in between.

What do signatories agree to?

They commit to explore peacefully and transparently, help those in need, share scientific data, avoid interfering with others' activities, and preserve historically significant sites.

Are the Artemis Accords a binding treaty?

No. They are principles that sit alongside existing international space law and do not require signatories to fund missions.

Why do lunar heritage sites need protection?

The Moon has no wind or rain to erase human traces, so Apollo landing sites and hardware are preserved largely as they were left. The accords commit nations to develop best practices to avoid damaging them.