Article Posted on : - Dec 03, 2010

MOSCOW (BNS): Russian space agency Roscosmos and US space agency NASA are likely to sign a joint protocol this month which would pave the way for their collaboration in future space missions, including deep space exploration.

The protocol might include joint missions to asteroids, the Moon and other Low-Earth Orbit operations, Roscosmos chief Anatoly Perminov was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.

“We also discussed NASA’s support in control of Russian interplanetary station Phobos-Grunt,” Perminov added.

The Phobos-Grunt project envisions a multi-purpose mission to Mars. The interplanetary mission is scheduled to be launched in 2011. The spacecraft will land on Phobos – one of the moons of Mar to collect rock and soil samples.

The Roscosmos chief also said that the first manned spacecraft from Russia’s newly-constructed Vostochny spaceport was scheduled to take place in 2018.