BRICS Space Agencies Sign Memorandum on Cooperation in Space Exploration

Roscosmos Director General Igor Komarov stated that BRICS made a step into the future, as joint efforts on the use of the ERS system would help to eliminate consequences of natural disasters, improve environmental protection and further sustainable social and economic development of the BRICS countries.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Representatives of the space agencies of BRICS member states discussed elaborating a document on sharing data obtained by the orbital groups of Earth remote sensing (ERS) satellites and signed a memorandum on cooperation in space exploration for peaceful purposes at the meeting in the Chinese city of Zhuhai, the press service of the Russian State Space Corporation Roscosmos said on Monday.

"The document that we are preparing represents a mechanism that would facilitate cooperation in the above-mentioned areas (peaceful exploration of outer space and joint use of the ERS system), and I hope that we will be able to finalize it in the near future," Roscosmos Director General Igor Komarov said.

He added that BRICS made a step into the future, as joint efforts on the use of the ERS system would help to eliminate consequences of natural disasters, improve environmental protection and further sustainable social and economic development of the BRICS countries.

The meeting was also attended by President of the Brazilian Space Agency Jose Raimundo Coelho, Vice-Chairman of the China National Space Administration Wu Yanhua, and acting Executive Director of the South African National Space Agency Potlaki Maine.