Muhammad Ayub Ali :
Bangladesh has officially joined the Artemis Accords, becoming the 54th signatory to the US-led international agreement on civil space exploration.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on Tuesday between the Space Research and Remote Sensing Organisation (SPARRSO) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the United States.
The signing took place on the second day of the four-day Bangladesh Investment Summit 2025 at the InterContinental Hotel in Dhaka.
The ceremony commenced with a virtual message from Janet Petro, Acting Administrator of NASA, who remarked that the visit of Chief NASA Astronaut Joseph M. Acaba to Bangladesh last December marked the beginning of discussions regarding the Artemis Accords.
Ambassador Tracey Ann Jacobson, the US Chargé d’Affaires to Bangladesh, expressed enthusiasm about the development, stating, “We are delighted to see Bangladesh become the 54th signatory of the Artemis Accords.”
The Artemis Accords comprise a set of non-binding principles, guidelines, and best practices designed to govern civil exploration and use of outer space.
These principles are rooted in the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, along with other international agreements such as the Registration Convention and the Agreement on the Rescue and Return of Astronauts.
The accords aim to promote safe, transparent, and sustainable exploration of the Moon, Mars, comets, and asteroids.
Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun, Executive Chairman of the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) and the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA), noted that the signing was achieved in a remarkably short time due to effective coordination among various ministries.
“It could take 15 to 20 years to fully realise the impact of this accord. This is step one of possibly a thousand,” he commented.
Established in 1980, SPARRSO has served as Bangladesh’s national agency for space research and remote sensing. Since its inception, the country has adhered to international norms on the peaceful use of outer space.
By joining the Artemis Accords, Bangladesh aligns itself with a global community committed to transparent and responsible space activities. The agreement was originally established in 2020 by NASA and several partner nations.
As of 21 January 2025, 53 countries had signed the accords, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, India, United Arab Emirates, Australia, and several European and Latin American nations.
The signing ceremony was attended by senior officials and diplomats, including Stephen Ibelli, Public Diplomacy Counsellor at the US Embassy in Dhaka; James S. Gardiner, Acting Economic Unit Chief at the US Embassy; Md. Rashedul Islam, Chairman of SPARRSO; A.F.M. Zahid-Ul-Islam, Chief of Protocol and Director General of the North America Wing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA); Nahian Rahman Rochi, Head of Business Development at BIDA; Md. Shafiul Alam, Director of the North America Wing at MoFA; and Sayeda Sumaiya Tarannum, Assistant Secretary of the same wing.
