Hungary has officially joined the Artemis Accords, marking its dedication to the principles of sustainable space exploration. The announcement was made by NASA Acting Administrator Sean Duffy in a social media post on October 22nd. Hungary becomes the 57th nation to endorse the Accords, joining Finland, Bangladesh, Norway, and Senegal as new signatories this year.

“Their decision to join the Artemis Accords affirms a shared commitment to peaceful, transparent exploration — at a time when others seek to weaponize the final frontier,” Duffy stated.

The announcement was somewhat muted, coinciding with the U.S. federal government shutdown. Neither NASA nor the State Department issued formal press releases at the time. The news emerged during Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó’s visit to the United States. A summary of Szijjártó’s meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio made no mention of the Accords.

Prior to Hungary's signing, representatives from 39 signatory nations convened at the International Astronautical Congress in Sydney, Australia, to discuss the Accords' implementation and encourage further adoption. “We want more people to join us and explore with us,” said Amit Kshatriya, NASA associate administrator, highlighting the importance of inclusivity. “But when resources are constrained, how do you make sure that emerging spacefaring nations are able to participate in this incredible adventure?”

While Hungary is a member of the European Union and the European Space Agency (ESA), it has sometimes pursued independent space collaborations. For instance, while Sweden and Poland collaborated with ESA for astronaut missions via Axiom Space, Hungary directly arranged for a Hungarian astronaut to fly on Axiom's Ax-4 mission earlier in the year.

Despite their name, the Artemis Accords aren't explicitly linked to NASA's Artemis lunar program, and signing doesn't guarantee participation in the initiative. However, some believe the Accords' success is intertwined with Artemis's own. Mike Gold, president of civil and international space at Redwire, and a former NASA official instrumental in developing the Accords, noted: “The expansion of the Artemis Accords continues to be a win for a future in space that reflects American values of peace, transparency and safety. However, the success of the accords is inextricably linked to the success of the Artemis program." He further added, “Thanks to the passionate support of leaders such as Sen. Ted Cruz and Secretary Sean Duffy for Artemis and beating China to the moon, I’m confident that we can lead not just in technology but in policy.”