Europe and Russia strengthen space cooperation
European-Russian cooperation in space research just got deeper, the European Space Agency has announced, following a meeting in Moscow of the European Space Agency (ESA), the European Commission and the Federal Space Agency of the Russian Federation (Roscosmos). The meeting took place within the framework of the Space Dialogue initiative, which was set up a year ago with the goal of enhancing cooperation in the fields of space applications (satellite navigation), access to space (launchers and space transportation systems), space science and space technology development. 'Space cooperation is an important element in overall Europe-Russia cooperation,' said Jean-Jacques Dordain, ESA Director General. 'This meeting has proved very useful as concrete work programmes have been established.' Russia has offered to provide important instruments to ESA's BepiColombo mission, while Russian scientists have been invited to respond to calls for proposals for the first planning cycle of the ESA's Cosmic Vision 2015-2025. The European Commission will also provide targeted information on space-related topics in the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), which could be of interest to Russian space experts. In the satellite field, the parties agreed to set up a specific exchange mechanism for Earth observation data, and address issues of compatibility and interoperability between Russian and European satellite navigation systems. The parties will also look into potential areas of common interest with regards to space technology development. On launchers, Europe and Russia will concentrate on the implementation of Soyuz launches from the Guyana Space Centre. '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,' said Mr Dordain. 'If the two sides pool their resources, the result will be even more outstanding than it is today.'
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