Uzbekistan becomes the seventy-seventh signatory of the Artemis Accords at a ceremony in Samarkand

19 October 2026

Uzbekistan signed the Artemis Accords on 19 October 2026 at a ceremony in Samarkand, becoming the 77th signatory. Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov signed for Uzbekistan, and the signing took place during a visit by United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio. NASA Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson said Uzbekistan joins the Artemis Accords at a pivotal moment. NASA and the State Department established the Accords in 2020 with seven other founding nations, in response to growing government and private interest in lunar activities. Signatories commit to exploring peacefully and transparently, aiding those in need, sharing scientific data, avoiding interference with the activities of others and preserving historically significant sites and artefacts. Uzbekistan is developing a national space programme, and Uzbek students are working on the country's first CubeSat, targeted for launch by 2028. NASA officials had met representatives of Uzbekistan's Ministry of Digital Technologies and its space agency Uzcosmos at the 2026 International Astronautical Congress in Antalya, and Uzbekistan will host an annual global space event in 2028.