NASA said in a Sept. 18, 2026, media advisory that the Republic of Albania was scheduled to sign the Artemis Accords at a noon EDT ceremony on Monday, Sept. 21, at NASA Headquarters in Washington, which would make it the 73rd country signatory. Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson was set to host Albania's Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Ferit Hoxha, and its ambassador to the United States, Ervin Bushati, alongside U.S. Department of State officials. The event was planned as in person only, with media required to RSVP by 10 a.m. on Sept. 21.

According to NASA, the United States, led by the agency and the State Department, joined seven other founding nations in 2020 during the first Trump administration to establish the accords, responding to growing government and private interest in lunar activity. The agency described the accords as introducing the first set of practical principles aimed at improving the safety, transparency and coordination of civil space exploration on the Moon, Mars and beyond.