Albania signs the Artemis Accords, the 73rd country
The signing was at NASA headquarters on 21 September. The Accords are principles, not a launch.
Albania signed the Artemis Accords on Monday 21 September 2026 at NASA headquarters in Washington, becoming the 73rd signatory. Foreign minister Ferit Hoxha signed. NASA deputy administrator Matt Anderson called it an extension of a much older bilateral relationship.
The Accords are not a treaty that flies hardware. They are the operating notes countries agree to bring to the Moon and, later, Mars: explore in the open, help people in trouble, share scientific data, stay out of each other’s way, and take care of historic sites. Seven countries started the list with NASA and the U.S. State Department in 2020.
Albania already has a small space footprint of its own. NASA notes two Earth-observation satellites, Albania-1 and Albania-2, launched in January 2023 on a Falcon 9 from Florida, and a run of local NASA Space Apps events built on open Earth and space data.
For this desk, the useful distinction is the one the ceremony itself makes. A signature is a coordination tool. It is not a seat on the next crew.
Desk note from a public release. Source: NASA. This site is not the agency.