The space agencies of Russia and the European Union are examining possible joint missions following the 2024 decommissioning of the International Space Station, European Space Agency Director-General Jan Woerner told Sputnik.
Russia, the European Union and the United States were solid in a decision to extend the life of the International Space Station to 2024, well beyond the original plan for decommissioning in 2015.
"We are discussing also about future exploration subjects after the International Space Station. We are really in a discussion phase. Nothing concrete right now," Woerner said on Tuesday on the sidelines of a Space Symposium in the US state of Colorado.
Woerner said talks with Russia about the future will have to wait until after the symposium because Russian Federal Space Agency chief Igor Komarov did not attend the event.
"I'm meeting Igor quite frequently, so I will have further discussions with him very soon," Woerner noted.
Space exploration reflects a show of unity between Russia and the West that belies disagreements in other areas.
Earlier on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with astronauts on the International Space Station by video link, to mark the April 1961 flight of Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the first human in space.
Imposing Sanctions on Russian-EU Space Plans Huge Mistake
Any attempt to extend economic sanctions against Russia to the field of space cooperation between Moscow Russian and European space organizations would be a disaster, Italian Space Agency (ASI) President Roberto Battiston told Sputnik.
Battiston is the chair of General Physics at the University of Trento and is a member of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, the governmental committee advising Italy's Minister of Research.
"Civil and peaceful space activities are not hit by [sanctions] in a significant manner," Battiston stated on Tuesday in an exclusive interview at the Space Symposium conference in Colorado Springs.
Battiston explained that economic sanctions do not apply in the area of Italian-Russian space cooperation and should not be imposed whatsoever.
"It would be a disaster if this would change the way we do cooperation in civilian applications," Battiston said.
Europe, Russia Space Cooperation 'Excellent,' Unaffected by Sanctions
Joint space exploration efforts by Russia and the European Union remain on track, with no impact from Western sanctions against Moscow, European Space Agency Director-Gener"The cooperation between the European Space Agency and Roscosmos is excellent," Woerner said on Tuesday, using an abbreviation for the Russian Federal Space Agency.
Asked whether work had been affected by Western sanctions against Russia, Woerner replied: "No. In relation to Roscosmos I don't feel anything."
Woerner cited Europe's ExoMars mission as one example of ongoing work with Russia.
"We are continuing the cooperation also with ExoMars. We are flying together to Mars so it's working perfectly."
The ExoMars satellite – with an attached spacecraft that will attempt to land on Mars' rocky surface – was launched last month on a Russian-made Proton rocket from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan.al Jan Woerner told Sputnik.
