The Artemis Accords have evolved from a bilateral U.S. initiative into a de facto framework with substantial international reach. By Nov. 4, sixty nations had endorsed a set of principles intended to guide behavior in space: peaceful use, transparency of activities, and sustainability of operations. Those principles are framed to apply across civil, commercial and military domains, and they carry particular weight as private companies and startups accelerate lunar and orbital activity.

Signatories represent every continent except Antarctica, a symbolic breadth that United States officials have used to argue the accords are not merely a club for advanced space agencies but a forum for global stakeholders. Many of the countries that have signed do not operate launch vehicles or large orbital platforms; instead, they are heavy users of space-derived services such as weather forecasts, agricultural monitoring, disaster response and telecommunications. U.S. officials have said non-spacefaring nations deserve a seat at discussions about the future of exploration and the rules that will shape access to orbital and lunar commons, although organizers have not framed universal accession as an objective.

The accords are voluntary and complementary to binding instruments such as the 1967 Outer Space Treaty. That voluntary character is a double-edged sword: it allows rapid adoption by nations and private sector partners, but it also poses questions about enforceability and consistent interpretation. For businesses — from established aerospace firms to Earth observation startups — the accords promise a clearer regulatory and normative environment. Clarity around transparency, data sharing and safe operations may reduce commercial risk and encourage investment in launch services, lunar logistics and sensor networks in orbit.

For civil space programs and international collaborations such as the International Space Station, the accords are another layer of expectation about conduct, deconfliction and scientific openness. They emphasize the importance of sharing data and coordinating activities to avoid orbital congestion and minimize debris, a growing concern for both satellites and human missions. Earth observation remains a particularly potent area of shared benefit: many low- and middle-income nations depend on satellite data to manage agriculture, respond to natural hazards and plan coastal defenses, making inclusivity in rule-setting a material issue for development and resilience.

Military and defense communities will study the accords for how voluntary norms intersect with national security priorities. Dual-use technologies — satellites that serve both civilian and intelligence purposes, or propulsion systems that could be repurposed — complicate commitments to transparency. The accords aim to reduce misunderstandings by promoting notification and cooperation, but the absence of binding enforcement mechanisms means adherence will depend on political will and reciprocal behavior.

As private lunar missions move from concept to contract, and as startups innovate in Earth observation and launch services, the Artemis Accords represent an attempt to internationalize norms before disputes harden into conflicts. Their growing membership underscores a recognition that space governance is no longer the preserve of a handful of powers. The challenge ahead is translating shared principles into interoperable standards, capacity-building programs for non-spacefaring nations, and multilateral processes that can coexist with existing treaties while addressing the realities of commercial and military activity beyond Earth.