Washington, May 16 (QNA) - The US space agency NASA announced Friday that Norway has joined the Artemis Accords, becoming the 55th nation to sign the Artemis Accords and the third country to sign this year, 2025.

"We are grateful for the close and meaningful collaboration we have alreadyآ had with the Norwegian Space Agency," said acting NASA Administrator, Janet Petro, in a statement.

She added: "Now, by signing the Artemis Accords, Norway is not only supporting the future of exploration, but also helping us define it with all our partners for the Moon, Mars, and beyond."

The Artemis Accords were established in October 2020 with the participation of the United States and seven other founding nations. These agreements represent a set of principles and guidelines designed to shape how nations explore the Moon and deep space.

They embody key concepts from the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which aims to promote peaceful and cooperative space activity.

The Artemis program is NASA's current initiative to return humans to the Moon to establish a sustainable presence on its surface, and ultimately on Mars.

The first Artemis mission, Artemis 1, launched in November 2022. The mission launched a Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with an uncrewed Orion spacecraft on a month-long mission to orbit the Moon and return. (QNA)