Senegal joins US-led Artemis space pact as first Francophone African country

By Alperen Aktas and Fatma Esma Arslan Ozdel

ISTANBUL/DAKAR, Senegal (AA) - Senegal on Friday became the 56th country and the first Francophone African nation to sign the US-led Artemis Accords to establish international norms for peaceful space exploration, including a permanent base on the moon.

Senegalese Space Studies Agency (ASES) President Maram Kaire attended a signing ceremony at NASA headquarters in Washington, DC, along with senior NASA officials.

“By signing the Artemis Accords, Senegal’s space agency has taken another step forward in strengthening ties between our two nations,” NASA said in a statement.

Nigeria, Rwanda and Angola had joined the pact from the African continent prior to Senegal.

Senegal, which established its national space agency in 2023, previously collaborated with NASA in 2021 by helping to observe the occultation of the Orus asteroid targeted by the Lucy mission. In August 2024, Senegal launched its first satellite, GAINDESAT-1A.

The Artemis Accords, first introduced in May 2020, build upon the 1967 Outer Space Treaty and aim to establish shared principles for responsible space activity. Key tenets include registering space objects, preventing harmful interference, sharing scientific data and providing emergency assistance.

Under the pact, the US envisions building a permanent lunar base, using the moon as a stepping-stone for Mars missions and resource extraction.

The Artemis program is considered the most ambitious and diverse global human space exploration initiative to date.