Djibouti was scheduled to sign the Artemis Accords at a ceremony at 11 a.m. EDT on Monday, Sept. 14, at NASA Headquarters in Washington, becoming the 72nd country signatory, NASA said in a media advisory dated Sept. 10, 2026. NASA Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson was to host Djibouti's ambassador to the United States, Mohamed Siad Douale, alongside U.S. State Department Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Frank Garcia.

According to the advisory, the event was to be in person only, with media required to RSVP by 8 a.m. on Sept. 14.

The agency said the United States, led by NASA and the State Department, joined seven other founding nations in 2020 to establish the accords, responding to growing government and private interest in lunar activities. It described the principles as aimed at enhancing safety, transparency and coordination in civil space exploration on the Moon, Mars and beyond.