Egypt’s Failure to Join Artemis Space Accords May Be a Costly Miscalculation

(The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Al-Fanar Media).

I recently received an invitation from NASA to cover a special ceremony in Washington, D.C., celebrating Senegal’s accession to the international Artemis Accords. Led by NASA, the agreement is the largest international space exploration alliance, aiming to return humans to the moon and establish the first permanent presence there by next year. 

With this step, Senegal becomes the 56th country to sign the Artemis Accords. It is not, however, the first African nation to join; Angola, Nigeria, and Rwanda preceded it. Among Arab and Islamic countries, several have already joined, including Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

Imagine, then, that humanity’s largest accord for space exploration and the return to the moon—which includes NASA, as well as European and Arab space agencies—does not include Egypt. The Artemis list has expanded to encompass countries entirely new to space programmes, from the Caribbean to Eastern Europe. Nations such as Estonia, Lithuania, and even the Dominican Republic and Panama have joined the Artemis Accord, but Egypt remains absent.

I do not claim to know the full history of other countries’ space programmes or their contributions to the Artemis Accord, yet I am genuinely astonished that Cairo has not joined an initiative that will serve as the driving force behind humanity’s efforts to explore space. Its absence may further contribute to Egypt falling behind the global community in space exploration, despite its enormous potential for development and growth—not only economically, but also scientifically, technologically, and intellectually.

A Pact for Peaceful Exploration

The Artemis Accords represent the first advanced international framework for peaceful and responsible cooperation in space exploration, particularly regarding the moon, Mars, and other celestial bodies. The alliance establishes clear principles, including the peaceful use of space, the exchange of scientific data, the protection of space heritage sites, and the transparent management of space resources, ensuring that space remains a safe and sustainable environment for future generations.

Countries that join the accord gain access to advanced programmes and technical expertise, participation in international space missions, and opportunities to exchange knowledge and technology with the world’s leading space agencies. Participation in Artemis also strengthens a country’s position on the scientific and technological map, opening doors to future investments and new economic opportunities related to space industries.

Is it conceivable that the world’s largest human space exploration alliance excludes Egypt, while countries with relatively new space programmes have already joined?

From this perspective, joining the alliance is a strategic move for any nation aspiring to play a meaningful role in the global effort to explore space safely and responsibly.

Is it conceivable that Senegal, a country relatively new to space exploration, would join this pioneering alliance, while Egypt, with its long-standing history in space programmes and distinguished expertise in this field, has not?

The Senegalese Space Studies Agency was established as recently as March 2023. Egypt founded its National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences (NARSS), serving as the cornerstone of its space programme, in 1973. The Egyptian Space Agency (EgSA) was established by law in 2018 as an independent entity affiliated with the Presidency of the Republic, headquartered in Space City, New Cairo. Additionally, Cairo has hosted the African Space Agency (AfSA) at the Egyptian Space City since 2019.

Egypt previously contributed to NASA’s historic Apollo programme to explore the moon in the 1960s and 1970s, with the Egyptian lunar geologist Farouk El-Baz playing an important role in selecting landing sites on the moon.

‘Capacity Isn’t the Problem’

I fear that delaying and failing to join this pioneering alliance will become yet another “zero” for Egypt, adding to a shameful record of backwardness and failure to keep pace with global trends—especially since we have already missed so much, while even our regional neighbours have made remarkable progress.

Do not speak to me of capabilities alone; capabilities are not the full story, and I doubt any officials in Egypt’s space programme can claim that weak capabilities are the sole reason. Senegal, with a GDP of $32.27 billion in 2024, has joined Artemis, while Egypt’s GDP stands at $389.06 billion. I will not even mention Egypt’s per capita GDP, which is nearly double that of Senegal.

“Capacity isn’t the problem. Management is the problem,” El-Baz told me when I asked him about Egypt’s exclusion from Artemis.

Senegal, with a GDP of $32 billion, is becoming part of Artemis, while Egypt, with a GDP of $389 billion, remains absent. Failing to join now could set Egypt decades behind in the global race to the moon and Mars.

When I asked NASA officials whether negotiations were underway with Cairo regarding its inclusion, they responded only that, “In general, NASA regularly cooperates with international space agencies bilaterally and in multilateral forums,” declining to comment specifically on Egypt’s participation.

A Political ‘Miscalculation’?

It may be understandable that the Egyptian Space Agency cooperates extensively with its Chinese counterpart, which also has not joined the Artemis Accord, given that Beijing is leading independent lunar exploration efforts. Russia, too, did not join, perhaps for political reasons. But ultimately, we are talking about the largest and most important human space exploration alliance, and failing to join over weak political pretexts could be a “miscalculation” that demands immediate review.

It is inconceivable that Egypt would abstain from an alliance that includes the United States, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Australia, Denmark, Finland, India, Italy, Japan, Norway, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Bangladesh, and others—simply under the pretext of cooperating with China.

This issue requires urgent clarification from those in charge of the Egyptian space programme. More is yet to come.

Mohamed Maher is a U.S.-based Egyptian journalist and researcher, specialising in space-related topics.