WELLINGTON, June 1 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand has joined an international arrangement to cooperate with NASA on peaceful exploration and activity in outer space.

The government of New Zealand has agreed to join the Artemis Accords, signed by NASA and several partner countries in October 2020 to establish a practical set of principles to guide space exploration among nations participating in NASA's lunar exploration plans.

"The Artemis Accords guide cooperation on space exploration, including support of NASA's Artemis program to return humans to the Moon in 2024, and explore Mars and beyond," Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said in a statement on Tuesday.

They set principles around the exploration of space, such as transparency, inter-operability, release of scientific data, sustainable use of resources, safe disposal of debris, and prevention of harmful interference in other's activities, the foreign minister said.

New Zealand's space sector is worth more than 1.7 billion NZ dollars and its space manufacturing industry generates around 247 million NZ dollars per annum in revenue, according to Economic and Regional Development Minister Stuart Nash. (1 New Zealand dollar equals to 0.73 U.S. dollars) Enditem

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