U.S. DEPARTMENT of  STATE   You are subscribed to Africa. Here is new content for this topic:   United States Welcomes Botswana’s Signing of the Artemis Accords 06/29/2026 02:53 PM EDT Office of the Spokesperson United States Welcomes Botswana’s Signing of the Artemis Accords Media Note June 29, 2026 The Department of State congratulates the Republic of Botswana on joining the Artemis Accords.  Botswana is the 68th country to sign the Accords to date, pledging its commitment to peaceful exploration and use of space.   Botswana’s Minister of Communication and Innovation David Tshere signed the Accords on behalf of the Republic of Botswana on June 25, 2026.  NASA Deputy Administrator Matthew Anderson and State Department Senior Advisor for Space Gregory Autry witnessed and celebrated the signing at a ceremony at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C.  The United States and Botswana maintain strong science and technology partnerships.  In March 2025, Botswana launched its first satellite, BOTSAT-1, aboard a SpaceX rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The United States and seven other countries established the Artemis Accords in 2020 to serve as a set of practical principles to guide responsible space exploration.  Botswana joins the United States and 66 other nations in affirming the Accords’ principles for sustainable civil space activity.  The Department of State and NASA lead the United States’ outreach and implementation of the Accords. For more information, including a full list of signatories to the Accords, please visit our Artemis Accords webpage. For media inquiries, please submit a request. Manage Subscriptions | Unsubscribe-All | Privacy Policy | Subscriber Help External links found in this content or on Department of State websites that go to non-Department websites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.  This email was sent to caterresearch9.news@blogger.com using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: U.S. Department of State · 2201 C Street NW · Washington, DC 20520