ORLANDO, Fla. — The Dominican Republic has signed the Artemis Accords, the 44^th nation to do so, NASA announced Oct. 7.

The agency said that Sonia Guzmán, ambassador of the Dominican Republic to the United States, signed the Accords on Oct. 4. Unlike some other countries to do so in recent months, there was no formal signing ceremony publicized by NASA or the Dominican Republic.

“This marks a historic step in our commitment to international collaboration in space exploration,” Guzmán said in a statement. “By joining the global effort to explore the moon, Mars and beyond, we are also expanding the opportunities particularly for our young Dominicans in science, education, and economic development.”

“The Dominican Republic has made important strides toward a shared future in space and is now helping guide space exploration for the Artemis Generation,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in the same statement.

The Artemis Accords outline best practices for safe and sustainable space exploration, building on the Outer Space Treaty and other international agreements. Signatories range from major spacefaring nations to those with more modest capabilities in spaceflight.

“The Dominican Republic is exploring the potential to build a commercial spaceport, recently became a part of the Latin American and Caribbean Space Agency and is leveraging space as an important part of the nation’s economic development plans,” Mike Gold, chief growth officer at Redwire and a former NASA official who spearheaded development of the Accords, told SpaceNews.

“The Dominican Republic is embracing the hope, optimism and belief in a better future that Artemis represents, and I’m thrilled to see them join the Accords and become a part of an ever-expanding family of nations,” he added.

The announcement of the Dominican Republic signing the Artemis Accords comes just days before the fourth anniversary of the first eight nations, including the United States, signing the Accords. A total of 44 countries have now signed the Accords, including 11 this year.

At an Oct. 1 meeting of the NASA Advisory Council, members urged NASA to make outreach to more nations, including in Africa, to encourage them to join the Artemis Accords. “There are a number of African nations that are hungry to get into the fray,” former NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, a member of the council, said at the meeting. “I would like to see NASA expand its outreach to them and Southern Hemisphere countries.”

Jane Harman, a former member of Congress who also serves on the council, said she expected current administrator Bill Nelson to emphasize that on upcoming international travel. “Lots of African nations are eager to join Artemis,” she said.

Representatives of Artemis Accords nations, including the Dominican Republic, are scheduled to meet Oct. 14 at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Milan, where NASA said they will discuss how to implement the principles. Similar meetings took place at the IAC in 2022 and 2023.