Race to the Moon
Two coalitions: the US-led Artemis Accords, a set of principles for civil space exploration (78 signatories, the latest Vietnam on 28 Oct 2026), and the China–Russia-led International Lunar Research Station. They are different kinds of agreement, so the counts are shown side by side, not compared as a score. 3 countries are on both official lists (Senegal, Serbia, Thailand); Roscosmos has also named the UAE and Türkiye as ILRS participants (28 May 2024).
Roscosmos statement: Interfax (28 May 2024)
Data reviewed against sources as of · All dates UTC unless a local time is shown
| Item | Artemis Accords | ILRS |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Principles for civil space exploration, US-led | A lunar research station programme, led by China and Russia |
| Began | : 8 founding signatories | : China–Russia memorandum |
| Members | 78 signatories (NASA’s list) | “17 countries and international organizations, as well as more than 50 international research institutions” (CNSA); 13 states named publicly, listed below |
| Most recent | Vietnam, | Senegal, (latest primary-confirmed date) |
| By region (UN M49) | Africa 9, Americas 13, Asia 19, Europe 35, Oceania 2 | Africa 3, Americas 2, Asia 5, Europe 3 (named states only) |
| On both lists | 3: Senegal, Serbia, Thailand | |
New signatories per year: 2020: 9 (total 9); 2021: 5 (total 14); 2022: 9 (total 23); 2023: 10 (total 33); 2024: 19 (total 52); 2025: 7 (total 59); 2026: 19 (total 78).
| # | Country | Signed |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia | |
| 2 | Canada | |
| 3 | Italy | |
| 4 | Japan | |
| 5 | Luxembourg | |
| 6 | United Arab Emirates | |
| 7 | United Kingdom | |
| 8 | United States | |
| 9 | Ukraine | |
| 10 | South Korea | |
| 11 | New Zealand | |
| 12 | Brazil | |
| 13 | Poland | |
| 14 | Mexico | |
| 15 | Israel | |
| 16 | Romania | |
| 17 | Bahrain | |
| 18 | Singapore | |
| 19 | Colombia | |
| 20 | France | |
| 21 | Saudi Arabia | |
| 22 | Nigeria | |
| 23 | Rwanda | |
| 24 | Czech Republic | |
| 25 | Spain | |
| 26 | Ecuador | |
| 27 | India | |
| 28 | Argentina | |
| 29 | Germany | |
| 30 | Iceland | |
| 31 | Netherlands | |
| 32 | Bulgaria | |
| 33 | Angola | |
| 34 | Belgium | |
| 35 | Greece | |
| 36 | Uruguay | |
| 37 | Switzerland | |
| 38 | Sweden | |
| 39 | Slovenia | |
| 40 | Lithuania | |
| 41 | Peru | |
| 42 | Slovakia | |
| 43 | Armenia | |
| 44 | Dominican Republic | |
| 45 | Estonia | |
| 46 | Cyprus | |
| 47 | Chile | |
| 48 | Denmark | |
| 49 | Panama | |
| 50 | Austria | |
| 51 | Thailand | |
| 52 | Liechtenstein | |
| 53 | Finland | |
| 54 | Bangladesh | |
| 55 | Norway | |
| 56 | Senegal | |
| 57 | Hungary | |
| 58 | Malaysia | |
| 59 | Philippines | |
| 60 | Portugal | |
| 61 | Oman | |
| 62 | Latvia | |
| 63 | Jordan | |
| 64 | Morocco | |
| 65 | Malta | |
| 66 | Ireland | |
| 67 | Paraguay | |
| 68 | Botswana | |
| 69 | Serbia | |
| 70 | Mauritius | |
| 71 | Türkiye | |
| 72 | Djibouti | |
| 73 | Albania | |
| 74 | Croatia | |
| 75 | Côte d’Ivoire | |
| 76 | San Marino | |
| 77 | Uzbekistan | |
| 78 | Vietnam |
Corrections against NASA’s list: Mexico 20 Dec 2021 (not 9 Dec 2021); India 21 Jun 2023 (not 22 Jun 2023).
Sources: NASA (read 2 Nov 2026) · NASA (updated 29 Oct 2026) · NASA (21 Sep 2026) · NASA (23 Sep 2026) · NASA (24 Sep 2026) · NASA (25 Sep 2026) · NASA (20 Oct 2026) · NASA (28 Oct 2026) · SpacePolicyOnline (17 Jul 2026)
| Region | Artemis Accords | ILRS (named states) |
|---|---|---|
| Africa | 9Nigeria, Rwanda, Angola, Senegal, Morocco, Botswana, Mauritius, Djibouti, Côte d’Ivoire | 3South Africa, Egypt, Senegal |
| Americas | 13Canada, United States, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Argentina, Uruguay, Peru, Dominican Republic, Chile, Panama, Paraguay | 2Venezuela, Nicaragua |
| Asia | 19Japan, United Arab Emirates, South Korea, Israel, Bahrain, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, India, Armenia, Cyprus, Thailand, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Philippines, Oman, Jordan, Türkiye, Uzbekistan, Vietnam | 5China, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Thailand, Kazakhstan |
| Europe | 35Italy, Luxembourg, United Kingdom, Ukraine, Poland, Romania, France, Czech Republic, Spain, Germany, Iceland, Netherlands, Bulgaria, Belgium, Greece, Switzerland, Sweden, Slovenia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Estonia, Denmark, Austria, Liechtenstein, Finland, Norway, Hungary, Portugal, Latvia, Malta, Ireland, Serbia, Albania, Croatia, San Marino | 3Russia, Belarus, Serbia |
| Oceania | 2Australia, New Zealand | 0 |
Regions: United Nations Statistics Division (read 25 Sep 2026)
| Partner | Joined | Notes and sources |
|---|---|---|
| China (CNSA)Founder | Memorandum with Russia on 9 Mar 2021; roadmap and Guide for Partnership 16 Jun 2021. Sources: China National Space Administration (9 Mar 2021) · China National Space Administration (16 Jun 2021) | |
| Russia (Roscosmos)Founder | Some lists give 16 Jun 2021 (the roadmap date); the memorandum was signed on 9 Mar 2021. Sources: China National Space Administration (9 Mar 2021) | |
| VenezuelaState | Date not confirmed UnconfirmedReported: 17 Jul 2023 | Sources: Wikipedia (read 23 Sep 2026, secondary) |
| South AfricaState | Date not confirmed UnconfirmedReported: 1 Sep 2023 | SANSA’s own release is dated 8 Sep 2023 and gives no signing date. Sources: Wikipedia (read 23 Sep 2026, secondary) |
| AzerbaijanState | Joint statement signed at the IAC in Baku. Sources: China National Space Administration (8 Oct 2023) | |
| Pakistan (SUPARCO)State | Date not confirmed UnconfirmedReported: 20 Oct 2023 | Announced by Xinhua/CNSA on 25 Oct 2023; the signing day is unconfirmed. Sources: Wikipedia (read 23 Sep 2026, secondary) · China National Space Administration (Xinhua) (24 Apr 2025) |
| BelarusState | Date not confirmed UnconfirmedReported: 23 Oct 2023 | Joint statement with the National Academy of Sciences, announced 25 Oct 2023; the signing day is unconfirmed. Sources: Wikipedia (read 23 Sep 2026, secondary) |
| EgyptState | CNSA–EgSA cooperation agreement signed in Beijing (Wikipedia’s table says 7 Dec). Sources: China National Space Administration (6 Dec 2023) | |
| ThailandState | Also an Artemis Accords signatory (16 Dec 2024). Sources: China National Space Administration (5 Apr 2024) | |
| NicaraguaState | Announced by CNSA on 24 Apr 2024 with APSCO and the Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Sciences. Sources: Xinhua (24 Apr 2024) | |
| SerbiaState | Date not confirmed UnconfirmedReported: 9 May 2024 | Also an Artemis Accords signatory (16 Jul 2026). Sources: Wikipedia (read 23 Sep 2026, secondary) · SpacePolicyOnline (17 Jul 2026) |
| KazakhstanState | Date not confirmed UnconfirmedReported: 5 Jul 2024 | Sources: Wikipedia (read 23 Sep 2026, secondary) |
| SenegalState | Also an Artemis Accords signatory (24 Jul 2025). Sources: gov.cn (Xinhua) (7 Sep 2024) · SpaceNews (Sep 2024) | |
| Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization (APSCO)Organisation | Announced by CNSA on 24 Apr 2024 (Wikipedia dates an earlier signing to Nov 2023). Sources: Xinhua (24 Apr 2024) · Wikipedia (read 23 Sep 2026, secondary) | |
| Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Sciences (AUASS)Organisation | Announced by CNSA on 24 Apr 2024. Sources: Xinhua (24 Apr 2024) | |
| International Lunar Observatory Association; Nano-SPACE (Switzerland)OrganisationUnconfirmed | – | Listed on Wikipedia (Jul 2023); non-state. Sources: Wikipedia (read 23 Sep 2026, secondary) |
| University of Sharjah (UAE)InstitutionUnconfirmed | – | Listed on Wikipedia (Nov 2023). Sources: Wikipedia (read 23 Sep 2026, secondary) |
| Kenya and Ethiopia (agency or organisation level)OrganisationUnconfirmed | – | A single secondary forum report from April 2024. Sources: Wikipedia (read 23 Sep 2026, secondary) |
China’s Deep Space Exploration Laboratory signed memoranda with 10 institutions from countries including Serbia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Panama and South Africa. Indonesia and Panama appear through institutions, not governments.
Sources: gov.cn (Xinhua) (7 Sep 2024)
Türkiye applied to join the ILRS in April 2024 but is not on any official member list; it signed the Artemis Accords on 31 Aug 2026. A Turkish rover is among the payloads selected for China’s Chang’e-8 (CNSA, April 2025). Unconfirmed The April 2024 ILRS application (Wikipedia only).
Sources: NASA (read 2 Nov 2026) · Wikipedia (read 23 Sep 2026, secondary) · China National Space Administration (Xinhua) (24 Apr 2025)
Counts: China National Space Administration (Xinhua) (24 Apr 2025) · Interfax (12 May 2025)
78 countries as of October 2026, on NASA’s list of signatories. The most recent is Vietnam, on 28 Oct 2026.
The International Lunar Research Station, led by China and Russia. ILRS "basic model" by 2035: "an expandable and maintainable system capable of long-term robotic operation with short-term human participation". No official date for continuous occupation. China’s space agency counts 17 countries and international organizations, as well as more than 50 international research institutions (stated 23 Apr 2025).
Sources: China National Space Administration (Xinhua) (24 Apr 2025) · gov.cn (Xinhua) (7 Sep 2024) · China National Space Administration (Xinhua) (24 Apr 2025)
3: Senegal, Serbia, Thailand. The two are different kinds of agreement: the Accords are principles for civil space exploration, and the ILRS is a research station programme.
Week in Space Data, every Friday.