International Space Station Partners Ponder Expansion To Chinese And Extention To 2028

The heads of the International Space Station (ISS) agencies from Canada, Europe, Japan, Russia and the United States met in Quebec City, Canada, on March 1, 2012, to review the scientific, technological, and social benefits being produced through their collaboration, and to discuss plans for further broadening these benefits by continuing to advance the human exploration of space. The SPACE AGENCY HEADS ISSUED A JOINT STATEMENT about the station.

While there was cooperation in the joint statement, there were differences of opinion as to the expansion of the International Space Station partnership and the possibility of extending the international cooperation at the station beyond 2020.

"WE ARE NOT A CLOSED CLUB, OUR DOORS ARE WIDE OPEN," Vladimir Popovkin, the head of the Russian Space agency, said after a meeting Thursday, March 1, 2012 of the leaders of the organizations involved in the station. Popovkin ventured that the day will come when China and India will work together with the five ISS partners - Canada, the United States, Russia, Japan and the European Space Agency, notes "THE CANADIAN PRESS".

Jean-Jacques Dordain, head of the European body, said he hopes the International Space Station partnership would be open, adding it would benefit from co-operation with China.

"I AM IN FAVOUR OF SEEING HOW WE CAN WORK TOGETHER WITH CHINA, he told reporters after the meeting in Quebec City. "IT WILL TAKE SOME STEPS, BUT IT WILL COME, I AM SURE. THIS IS NOT A CLOSED PARTNERSHIP, IT IS AN OPEN PARTNERSHIP AND ANYONE WHO CAN HELP SUPPORT THIS PARTNERSHIP IS MORE THAN WELCOME."

Dordain added, "IT WILL TAKE SOME TIME FOR CHINA TO JOIN US AND IT WILL TAKE SOME TIME TO HAVE INDIA, SOUTH KOREA, BRAZIL."

On the other hand, NASA's Administrator Charles Bolden noted to the press that the American space agency is prohibited by Congressional action from any bilateral activities with China. He did express hope that talks would continue among the European and Russian partners with the Chinese, however. Adding the Chinese to the partnership is not viewed as a short-term possibility, despite European and Russian willingness.

Bolden said it would be premature to talk about its life being extended beyond 2020, but added that, from an engineering standpoint, it can probably last until 2028. An extension will obviously become more dependent on the ability to transfer astronauts and cosmonauts safely and with regularity. The only spacecraft now capable of human Earth-to-orbit transfer is the Russian Soyuz.

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