PARIS (Sputnik) — Complicated geopolitical situation is unlikely to have a negative impact on the development of the international cooperation in space exploration, Russia's Roscosmos state space corporation Deputy Director General for International Cooperation Sergey Savelyev said Wednesday.
"I am sure that despite the complicated geopolitical situation, the cooperation in space exploration, including the Russian-French partnership, will continue. On the contrary, I believe that it can make a significant contribution to the improvement of the international situation," Savelyev said, speaking at the conference dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the launch of the first man-made satellite in Paris.
"And there is no coincidence, because large-scale projects, such as the Deep Space Gateway, could be implemented only if all countries work together," Savelyev pointed out.
On September 27, Roscosmos and NASA signed a joint statement on researching and exploring deep space. The Deep Space Gateway spaceport in the vicinity of the Moon is expected to be used as a launch point for missions to farther destinations, such as Mars.