By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow: Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has signed a decree set to extend the US-Russia agreement on cooperation in the use and exploration of outer space till 2020, the government said.
“The agreement extension corresponds with Russia’s interests and will help promote effective implementation of its space programmes as well as joint US-Russian space projects, including exploration of the Moon and Mars,” the government said in a statement on its website.
Originally signed June 17, 1992, the US-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 US note, while Medvedev’s decree has approved Russia’s note draft.
The US-Russia space cooperation is seen as one of the most successful aspects in the bilateral relations.
Russian spacecraft are currently the only transportation means for US space crews travelling to the International Space Station.