Vietnam signed the Artemis Accords, becoming the 78th nation to join the framework for peaceful and transparent space exploration, according to NASA.
NASA said the decision extends the U.S.-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership into a new frontier. The partnership has been built on more than 30 years of cooperation across defense, economic, law enforcement, war legacy, and technological areas, and it aims to advance a free and open Indo-Pacific, the agency said.
Vietnam’s Minister of Science and Technology Vũ Hải Quân signed the accords during Vietnam International Digital Week in Ha Long. The United States Ambassador to Vietnam Jennifer Wicks also took part in the event, NASA said.
NASA Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson said Vietnam is joining at a key moment for its space program. In recorded remarks, Anderson said NASA and the Vietnam National Space Center have built momentum in satellite innovation, land-use research, and radar-based Earth observation, and that joining the accords “opens a new chapter in that relationship.”
Earlier this year, NASA partnered with Vietnam’s Vietnamese-German University to support the agency’s Soil Moisture Active Passive mission, which measures surface-soil water worldwide. NASA said Vietnam also inaugurated its National Space Center in Hanoi and is developing domestic satellite capabilities through the LOTUSat program for Earth observation, weather monitoring, and disaster response.
NASA and the U.S. Department of State joined with seven other founding nations in 2020 to establish the Artemis Accords. The accords set practical principles to improve safety and coordination as nations explore the Moon, Mars, and beyond, the agency said.
By signing, countries commit to explore peaceably and transparently, to render aid when needed, to enable access to scientific data, to avoid interference with others’ activities, and to preserve historically significant sites and artifacts by developing best practices, according to NASA. Anderson added, “We are proud to welcome Vietnam to the Artemis Accords community.”
NASA said more countries are expected to sign the accords in the months and years ahead.