Angola Signs Artemis Accords

Angola officially signed the Artemis Accords on November 30, solidifying its commitment to best practices in space exploration.

The signing ceremony occurred during the official visit of Angola's President, João Lourenço, to the White House, where he met with President Joe Biden.

While the signing was briefly mentioned in White House statements about the meeting, it marks a significant step for Angola as the third African nation to join the Artemis Accords, following Rwanda and Nigeria.

During a background briefing on the meeting, a senior administration official emphasized Angola's importance in signing the accords, despite having a relatively small space program. The official stated, "One of the hallmarks of President Biden’s administration’s policy towards Africa is incorporating our African partners in the most important conversations that affect the future of this very decisive decade in space — space norms." The official further highlighted the critical role of African nations in shaping discussions on how countries behave and operate in outer space.

With 33 countries now signatories to the Artemis Accords, Angola's decision reflects a growing global consensus on the importance of establishing guidelines for space exploration. Ten nations, including Angola, have joined the accords this year alone.

"By signing the Artemis Accords, Angola is taking its space ambitions beyond Earth orbit, while supporting norms of behavior that will lead to a peaceful and prosperous future in space for all of humanity to enjoy." - Mike Gold, Chief Growth Officer at Redwire

Angola's engagement with the Artemis Accords follows a meeting between U.S. and African space industry officials at the International Astronautical Congress in October in Baku, Azerbaijan.

"It is exactly this type of outreach that I think is critical to achieving our goals in space diplomacy in this new and collaborative space era." - Valda Vikmanis Keller, Director of the Office of Space Affairs within the State Department

As Angola embraces the Artemis Accords, the nation positions itself as a key player in the evolving landscape of international space cooperation, contributing to the formulation of guidelines that will shape the future of space exploration for years to come.