Finland is the newest Artemis Accords signatory
NASA and Finland have collaboration history
Finland has become the 53rd nation to sign the NASA-led Artemis Accords, a landmark agreement for safe and responsible space exploration. The signing ceremony occurred at the Aalto University’s Winter Satellite Workshop 2025 in Espoo, Finland, marking a significant moment for international space collaboration.
“Today, Finland is joining a community of nations that want to share scientific data freely, operate safely, and preserve the space environment for the Artemis Generation,” said NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free, who delivered pre-recorded remarks for the occasion.
“By signing the Artemis Accords, Finland builds on its rich history in space, excelling in science, navigation, and Earth observation. Strong partnerships between our nations and the international community are vital for advancing our shared space exploration goals.”
Finland’s Minister of Economic Affairs, Wille Rydman, signed the Artemis Accords on behalf of the nation in front of Finnish space officials and workshop attendees. He highlighted Finland’s long-standing contributions to space exploration: “Finland has been part of the space exploration community for decades, with innovations and technology produced by Finnish companies and research institutions.”
Rydman also said the signing of the Artemis Accords aligns with Finland’s newly updated space strategy, which prioritises international cooperation and strengthening partnerships with the United States and other allies.
He added: “We aim for this cooperation to open great opportunities for the Finnish space sector in the new era of space exploration and the Artemis program.”
NASA and Finland have a well-established history of collaboration. Recently, Finland contributed to the upcoming Intuitive Machines-2 lunar mission under NASA’s Artemis campaign and the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. Finnish telecommunications giant Nokia, through its US subsidiary, will deliver a lunar LTE/4G communications system to the Moon.
This system is part of NASA’s Tipping Point opportunity, which aims to advance lunar communications technology and enhance the exploration capabilities of humans and robots.
Additionally, the Finnish Meteorological Institute has significantly contributed to space exploration, providing pressure and humidity measurement instruments for the Environmental Monitoring Station aboard NASA’s Curiosity Rover, which is currently operational on Mars.
Launched in 2020, the Artemis Accords promote the responsible and beneficial use of space for the betterment of humanity. Established by the United States, NASA, and the U.S. Department of State, the Accords are grounded in the Outer Space Treaty, the Registration Convention, the Rescue and Return Agreement, and best practices for responsible space behaviour, including the public release of scientific data.
Image: Finland is the 53rd nation to sign the Artemis Accords. Credit: NASA
