Eight nations sign U.S.led Artemis moon agreements

Eight countries have signed an international pact for moon exploration called the Artemis Accords, NASA announced on Tuesday as the U.S. space agency tries to shape standards for building long-term settlements on the lunar surface.

The accords, named after NASA’s Artemis moon program, seek to build on existing international space law by establishing “safety zones” that would surround future moon bases to prevent conflict between states operating there, and by allowing private companies to own the lunar resources they mine.

The United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, Luxembourg, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates signed the bilateral agreements during an annual space conference on Tuesday following months of talks in a U.S. bid to cultivate allies under its plan to return astronauts to the moon by 2024.