Saudi Arabia’s capital city Riyadh. Photo: Andrew A. Shenouda/ Creative Commons license

The United States and Saudi Arabia signed a framework agreement to open the door to cooperation with NASA in space science, exploration, aeronautics, space operations, education, and Earth science. NASA announced the agreement on July 16.

The agreement, signed by NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and Saudi Space Agency CEO Mohammed bin Saud Al-Tamimi, establishes the overall legal framework to facilitate mutually beneficial collaboration between the two countries.

This comes after Nelson visited Saudi Arabia in May and met with the Saudi Space Agency to discuss future partnerships and civil space cooperation for the broader U.S. and Saudi Arabia relationship. 

Saudi Arabia signed the Artemis Accords, a multinational agreement with a common vision for space exploration, in July of 2022. 

“The agreement represents a turning point in the Kingdom’s journey towards building a strong and prosperous space sector,” said Saudi Space Agency Chairman Abdullah bin Amer Al-Swaha. “It reflects the Kingdom’s firm commitment to progress and innovation in the field of space, and its continuous efforts to enhance its position as an important partner on the global stage for space exploration and scientific discovery.”