Russian PM signs decree to extend space cooperation with U.S.

PanARMENIAN.Net - Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree set to extend the U.S.-Russia agreement on cooperation in the use and exploration of outer space till 2020, the government said on Saturday. March 23, according to RIA Novosti.

“The agreement extension corresponds with Russia’s interests and will help promote effective implementation of its space programs as well as joint U.S.-Russian space projects, including exploration of the Moon and Mars,” the government said in a statement on its official web site.

Originally signed on June 17, 1992, the U.S.-Russian space cooperation agreement between NASA and the Russian Space Agency was later extended in 1997, 2002 and 2007.

The agreement extension is embodied with an exchange of notes between the two states. Russia’s Foreign Ministry has already received the U.S. note, while Medvedev's decree has approved Russia's note draft.

The U.S.-Russia space cooperation is seen as one of the most successful aspect in the bilateral relations.

Russian spacecraft are currently the only transportation means for U.S. space crews traveling to the International Space Station, what provides Russia with needed financial resources for its space projects.