Turkish Minister of Trade and Know-how, Mehmet Fatih Kacır, third from left, indicators the Artemis Accords for the Republic of Türkiye as NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, left, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for House and Setting Connor Tomlinson, and Turkish House Company President, Yusuf Kıraç, proper, look on, Monday, August 31, 2026, on the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters constructing in Washington.
NASA/Invoice Ingalls
Throughout a ceremony hosted by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman on the company’s headquarters in Washington on Monday, the Republic of Türkiye signed the Artemis Accords, becoming a member of the rising worldwide coalition of like-minded nations devoted to peaceable, clear area exploration.
“It’s my privilege to welcome the Republic of Türkiye because the 71st signatory of the Artemis Accords,” mentioned Isaacman. “Final yr, President Trump directed NASA to speed up its return to the lunar floor and set up humanity’s first enduring presence on one other world, a Moon Base, in addition to lay the muse for the manned exploration of Mars. NASA by no means undertakes these grand endeavors alone. On the Moon Base, we’re taking the Artemis Accords ideas and placing them into follow on the lunar floor. NASA has invited each signatory to participate on this endeavor, creating alternatives for nations to contribute main items of {hardware}, scientific payloads, know-how demonstrations, CubeSats, and different capabilities to future Artemis missions.”
Turkish Minister of Trade and Know-how Mehmet Fatih Kacır signed on behalf of Türkiye. The President of the Turkish House Company Yusuf Kıraç, and the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for House and Setting Connor Tomlinson, additionally participated within the occasion.
Türkiye’s current achievements in human spaceflight underscore its dedication to area exploration. In 2024, the nation’s first astronaut, Alper Gezervaci, traveled to the Worldwide House Station on Axiom Mission 3 and carried out scientific analysis alongside NASA astronauts. That very same yr, a second Turkish astronaut, Tuva Atasever, flew on Virgin Galactic 07 suborbital mission, conducting experiments and physiology analysis.
Türkiye will quickly launch its first lunar mission, AYAP-1, becoming a member of the small however rising group of nations constructing and launching their very own satellites to the Moon.
The nation’s signing additionally comes because the nation prepares to host the Worldwide Astronautical Congress in Antalya this October. Dozens of Artemis Accords signatories are anticipated to attend to debate the way forward for peaceable and clear area exploration.
In 2020, NASA and the State Division joined with seven different founding nations to determine the Artemis Accords, responding to the rising curiosity in lunar actions by each governments and personal corporations. They launched the primary set of sensible ideas aimed toward enhancing the security and coordination between nations as they discover the Moon, Mars, and past, committing nations to:
- discover peaceably and transparently
- render assist to these in want
- allow entry to scientific information
- guarantee actions don’t intervene with these of others
- protect traditionally important websites and artifacts by creating finest practices
By signing the Artemis Accords, nations open the door to alternatives for future lunar exploration with NASA, advancing humanity’s return to the Moon, and shaping the Golden Age of area exploration and innovation.
