Finland signs Artemis Accords

Finland on Tuesday signed the Artemis Accords in Otaniemi, Espoo, said the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment in a press release.

Minister of Economic Affairs Wille Rydman signed the accords on behalf of Finland.

Artemis Accords were established by NASA and the US Department of State to boost NASA’s Artemis Program.

The signatories are politically committed to the principles of cooperation contained in the Accords as regards the civil exploration and use of the Moon, Mars, comets and asteroids for peaceful purposes. The Accords are based on the need to specify common rules as activities on celestial bodies increase.

“Finland has been part of the space exploration community for decades with Finnish companies and research institutes producing many innovations and technologies. With the Artemis Accords, we will strengthen our partnership with the United States and other allies. Our aim is that the cooperation will open up opportunities for the Finnish space sector in the new era of space exploration and the Artemis Program,” Rydman said.

In connection with the signing, a separate statement was published stating that Finland continues to consider the United Nations (UN) the primary forum for the development of international space law and that Finland complies with international law in its space activities.

Moreover, Finland can make use of its experiences as a signatory to the Artemis Accords in the promotion of UN-level work.

The signing ceremony was organised in connection with the Finnish space sector event Winter Satellite Workshop in Espoo.

With more than 1,000 participants, the Workshop is the largest New Space event in Scandinavia and the Baltic countries.