This article provides an historical narrative of the genesis and drafting of the Artemis Accords, a non-binding international agreement developed jointly by NASA and the US Department of State to establish ‘a common vision via a practical set of principles, guidelines, and best practices’ to support NASA’s Artemis program to return astronauts to the Moon. The Artemis Accords provide guidance to lunar operators regarding a multiplicity of issues including informationsharing, deconfliction, interoperability, emergency assistance, resource extraction, preserving cultural heritage, and mitigating orbital debris. The Artemis Accords were opened for signature on 13 October 2020, on which day the first eight countries signed the instrument. At the time of writing, sixty-seven nations have signed the Artemis Accords. The content of this article was drawn from interviews conducted by the authors with key figures involved with the creation of the Artemis Accords.
Air and Space Law