N° 31–1994: Signing of ESA/RKA Cooperation Agreement

On 5 October 1994 in Moscow, Mr Y. Koptev, Director General of the Russian Space Agency (RKA), and Mr J.-M. Luton, Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA), signed a Cooperation Agreement covering joint activitities in the area of manned flights and associated space transport systems for the period 1993-1995. The Agreement reflects the Agencies' reciprocal commitments concerning work they decided to undertake back in late 1992 following on from the decisions taken by the ESA Council meeting at ministerial level in Granada. In particular, the Agreement supplements the existing legal framework for contracts placed with the Russian firm RKK-Energia for the execution of the "Euromir 94 and 95" missions and the active continuation of joint work on future manned space transport systems.

The Agreement also marks the Agencies' common resolve to continue their drive for closer long-term cooperation on manned space infrastructures, especially in the context of the future International Space Station. Finally, the Agreement lays the foundations for specific cooperation on Russian and Western European industrial development projects, allowing for the conclusion of further, detailed agreements on the implementation of jointly-defined programmes.