BOTSWANA SIGNS ARTEMIS ACCORDS, BRINGING THE COUNT TO 68

Botswana signed the Artemis Accords on June 25, bringing the total number of participating nations to 68. David Tshere, the country's minister of communications and innovation, signed the document during a ceremony at NASA Headquarters. The Accords, first rolled out in 2020 with eight original signatories, now count 68 countries, with nine nations joining so far this year.

Tshere stated that Botswana found it important to become a signatory to promote safe, transparent and sustainable civil space exploration and to advance international cooperation under a shared framework for responsible activities in space. "Botswana, like many countries who have interest in space exploration, found it important to become a signatory to the Artemis Accords to promote safe, transparent and sustainable civil space exploration and to advance international cooperation under a shared framework for responsible activities in space" He added that as a newcomer to space exploration, Botswana looks to the United States not only to help build its national capacity but also to partner in identifying and maximizing the opportunities that arise from its participation in the Artemis framework. "As a newcomer to space exploration, Botswana looks to the U.S.A. not only to help build our national capacity but also to partner with us in identifying and maximising the opportunities that arise from our participation in the Artemis framework."

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BOTSWANA'S OWN SPACE AMBITION

Botswana is not starting from zero. The country launched its first satellite, a CubeSat called BOTSAT-1, on a SpaceX Transporter rideshare mission last year. BOTSAT-1 was built by a university in the country with assistance from Bulgarian smallsat developer EnduroSat and carried a hyperspectral imager from South African company Dragonfly Aerospace. The date of that launch is now marked as National Space Day in Botswana. Duma Gideon Boko attended the launch.

The satellite program gives Botswana a concrete foundation for deeper space engagement. Tshere expressed hope that signing the Accords would lead to a space cooperation working group between Botswana and the United States, a step that would formalise technical and policy exchanges beyond the ceremonial signing.

A PERMANENT MOON BASE

NASA Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson framed the Accords as more than a diplomatic exercise. "We are building a permanent, sustainable moon base, and NASA has invited every Artemis Accords signatory to take part in this endeavour," he said. That language signals that membership in the Accords is not merely declaratory. It is an open door to hardware, missions, and ultimately boots on the lunar surface. For a nation like Botswana, the invitation represents a path to participation in a major exploration program that would otherwise be out of reach.

THE STRATEGIC COMPETITION

The Accords are not solely about science and exploration. Mike Gold, a space policy veteran, laid out a sharper rationale. He praised the Trump administration's focus on securing America's critical access to rare earth elements in Africa and argued that space diplomacy will play a key role in building lasting relationships. "I applaud the Trump administration’s focus on securing America’s critical access to rare earth elements in Africa, and space diplomacy will play a key role in building lasting relationships" Gold was explicit about the geopolitical stakes: "We must leverage our leadership in space generally and the Artemis program specifically to combat China’s aggressive outreach in Africa."

That framing places the Artemis Accords within a wider contest for influence on the continent. China has been aggressively courting African nations through infrastructure investment, satellite deals, and diplomatic engagement. The Accords offer a competing framework built on US-led norms and partnerships, and every new signatory is a step in that competition.

A DIPLOMAT FOR SPACE

The State Department has added a dedicated space adviser to match the strategic moment. Greg Autry, formerly associate provost for space commercialisation and strategy at the University of Central Florida, was named a senior adviser for space in the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs. Autry was twice nominated to be NASA's chief financial officer, in 2020 and again in 2025, but the Senate did not take up his nomination either time. The appointment at State is temporary, and he will return to UCF once it ends.

Autry offered a broader view of the Accords' significance: "The Accords lay out a common vision for responsible space exploration and use. The growth of the Accords, now 68 signatories from the original eight in 2020, speaks to the broad appeal of that vision" Mike Gold seconded that with a personal note about Autry: "Greg’s experience and expertise in the space field is singular and only surpassed by his knowledge of and desire to beat China in space and on Earth"

WHAT IT ADDS UP TO

Sixty-eight signatories in five years is fast growth for a diplomatic framework. The Accords started as a US-led alternative to the more top-down international space governance model and have steadily drawn in countries across every continent. Botswana is the latest, but the pace of accession is accelerating: nine countries signed in the first six months of this year alone.

For the US, each signature is a data point in a larger strategy that connects lunar exploration, rare earth supply chains, and countering Chinese influence. For Botswana, the Accords provide a formal seat at a table that is building the rules for the next generation of space activity. The working group Tshere hopes for would turn that seat into a functional relationship. Whether that happens will depend on follow-through from both sides.

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But the trajectory is clear. The Artemis Accords are no longer a niche arrangement. They are the central diplomatic vehicle for the moon program.