Uzbekistan signed the Artemis Accords on Oct. 19, becoming the 77th signatory to a framework for peaceful civil space activity as it develops a scientific satellite of its own.
Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov signed in Samarkand during U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit, NASA said. Uzbekistan’s presidential office also confirmed the signing.
NASA had counted 76 signatories on Sept. 28. NASA and the U.S. State Department established the accords with seven other founding nations in 2020, as more governments and companies pursued activity on the moon.
The accords call for transparency in civilian space operations, the sharing of scientific findings and assistance in emergencies. They also set out steps for countries to coordinate activities that might interfere with one another. The text describes participation as a political commitment and leaves the scope and terms of specific cooperative projects to separate arrangements.
Uzbekistan is pursuing a separate plan to launch Mirzo Ulugbek, a 6U scientific satellite, in 2028. The project is intended to support Earth observation, experiments and technology testing. The Uzbekcosmos Agency has given no exact launch date.
Seven Uzbek engineers began master’s studies at Japan’s Kyushu Institute of Technology in October 2025 as part of the satellite project, Uzbekcosmos said. The agency describes training engineers and developing national satellite capability as goals of the work.
Earlier in October, Uzbek officials met NASA Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson at the International Astronautical Congress in Antalya, Türkiye. They discussed satellite data, Earth observation, research and specialist training, Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Digital Technologies said.
Samarkand is scheduled to host the congress in 2028, according to Uzbekcosmos.
