Djibouti’s ambassador to the United States, Mohamed Siad Douale, signed the accords on behalf of his government at NASA Headquarters in Washington on Monday, September 14. NASA Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson hosted the ceremony, which was also attended by US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Frank Garcia.
The accession extends African participation in the framework at a time when more governments are developing satellite capabilities and seeking a role in future lunar activity. NASA says the accords are intended to provide practical rules for cooperation as states and private companies expand operations around the Moon and pursue missions farther into space.
Anderson said signatory countries could contribute hardware, scientific payloads, technology demonstrations, CubeSats and other capabilities to future missions. He linked Djibouti’s entry to NASA’s plans to return astronauts to the lunar surface, establish a sustained presence there and prepare for later human exploration of Mars.
Douale said Djibouti wanted to deepen cooperation with the United States and other countries committed to peaceful space activity. He identified scientific research, satellite applications, education and technical training as areas where the country hoped to build partnerships, including opportunities for students, researchers, engineers and entrepreneurs.
Djibouti joins the accords with an operational national space programme rather than as a country starting from scratch. Its programme was launched in 2020 and is managed by the Centre for Studies and Research of Djibouti under the Ministry of Higher Education and Research.
The country placed its first satellite, Djibouti-1A, into orbit in November 2023 aboard a Falcon 9 rideshare mission launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. A second spacecraft, Djibouti-1B, followed in December 2024 on another Falcon 9 launch from Vandenberg.
Djibouti-1A and 1B form part of the HYDROSAT programme, designed to collect meteorological, hydrological and other measurements from ground stations across the country and retransmit the data for research and monitoring. The programme also served as a training platform for Djiboutian engineers involved in satellite design and construction.
United Nations registration records for Djibouti-1B identify the Ministry of Higher Education and Research as its owner and operator. The filing lists the satellite in low Earth orbit, with an apogee of about 515 kilometres and a perigee of about 505 kilometres, and says it was operating as intended after deployment.
Djibouti’s signature brings the African group within the Artemis framework to eight countries. Nigeria and Rwanda became the first African signatories in December 2022. Angola joined in 2023, Senegal in 2025, while Morocco, Botswana and Mauritius signed during 2026 before Djibouti’s accession.
The accords were established in 2020 by the United States and seven other founding participants as a non-binding set of principles for civil space activity. They reinforce commitments associated with existing international space law, including the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, while setting out expectations for transparency, interoperability, emergency assistance, registration of space objects and release of scientific data.
NASA describes the principles as voluntary political commitments implemented through cooperation among signatories, rather than a replacement for international law. Their provisions include notifying partners about activities, making scientific information available and coordinating when operations could overlap. Participation can facilitate discussion with NASA and other members, but any project, payload or mission contribution requires separate arrangements between the parties.
They also call for measures intended to prevent harmful interference between space activities and encourage preservation of sites and artefacts considered historically significant. Signatories retain their own national space policies and the accords do not constitute a treaty or automatically assign countries roles in NASA missions.
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