ESA and Russia to Cooperate in Space

The European Space Agency and the Russian space agency announced they are strengthening their mutual cooperation in space.

The head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, Anatoly Perminov, ESA Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain and European Commission Director General Heinz Zourek issued the announcement Wednesday in Moscow, within the framework of the Tripartite Space Dialogue between the European Commission, European Space Agency and Roscosmos.

Established last year, the Space Dialogue initiative encompasses such applications as satellite navigation, access to space and space science and technological development.

Space cooperation is an important element in overall Europe-Russia cooperation, said Dordain. The cooperation between Europe and Russia in the area of launchers should serve as a model for cooperation in other areas, such as exploration, space science and space applications. If the two sides pool their resources, the result will be even more outstanding than it is today.