Washington, Oct 14 (IANS): Eight nations, including the US, have signed the Artemis Accords, an international agreement that establishes a practical set of principles to guide space exploration cooperation among nations participating in NASA's lunar exploration plans.

Besides the US, other founding member nations that have signed the Artemis Accords are Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom, NASA said on Tuesday.

"Artemis will be the broadest and most diverse international human space exploration programme in history, and the Artemis Accords are the vehicle that will establish this singular global coalition," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a statement.

"With today's signing, we are uniting with our partners to explore the Moon and are establishing vital principles that will create a safe, peaceful, and prosperous future in space for all of humanity to enjoy."

While NASA is leading the Artemis programme, which includes sending the first woman and next man to the surface of the Moon in 2024, international partnerships will play a key role in achieving a sustainable and robust presence on the Moon later this decade while preparing to conduct a historic human mission to Mars.

NASA announced it was establishing the Artemis Accords in May this year to guide future cooperative activities, to be implemented through bilateral agreements that will describe responsibilities and other legal provisions.

The partners will ensure their activities comply with the accords in carrying out future cooperation.

International cooperation on Artemis is intended not only to bolster space exploration but to enhance peaceful relationships among nations, NASA said.

"Fundamentally, the Artemis Accords will help to avoid conflict in space and on Earth by strengthening mutual understanding and reducing misperceptions. Transparency, public registration, deconflicting operations -- these are the principles that will preserve peace," said Mike Gold, NASA Acting Associate Administrator for International and Interagency Relations.

"The Artemis journey is to the Moon, but the destination of the Accords is a peaceful and prosperous future."

NASA said that the Artemis Accords reinforce and implement the 1967 Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, Including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, otherwise known as the Outer Space Treaty.

They also reinforce the commitment by the US and partner nations to the Registration Convention, the Agreement on the Rescue of Astronauts, and other norms of behaviour that NASA and its partners have supported, including the public release of scientific data.