Russia invites the U.S. to work on joint Moon exploration projects
Russia’s Space Agency Roscosmos invited NASA management to discuss joint Moon exploration projects, reports the Russian newspaper Kommersant with reference to Sergey Saveliev, Roscosmos’ Deputy Director for International Cooperation.
According to Saveliev, in recent years the channels of direct communication between Roscosmos State Corporation and NASA in a number of areas have "noticeably deteriorated".
"Instead of discussing dozens of projects of mutual interest, it comes down either to the delivery of astronauts to the International Space Station as part of a manned program, or to the delivery to the United States of Russian RD-180/181 engines. Ambitious projects related to the development of the Moon could become a serious factor for the cooperation between the two countries in difficult times," he said.
In April 2020, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order stating America has the right to explore and use resources from outer space. Later, media reported that Trump administration is preparing an international agreement on the development of the Moon. Russia was not included in the project.