United States-France Framework Agreement Signed on Outer Space Cooperation

On January 23, the United States and France signed a Framework Agreement for Cooperative Activities in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space for Peaceful Purposes. Administrator Michael Griffin of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) signed for the United States and Minister Francois Goulard of the Ministry for Higher Education and Research signed for France. United States Ambassador to France, Craig R. Stapleton, and CNES President Yannick d’Escatha attended the signing ceremony at the Ministry of Higher Education and Research in Paris.

The agreement provides a framework to facilitate expanded cooperation between the United States and France on a range of activities related to space exploration, Earth observation and monitoring, space operations, and space science and research. The agreement designates NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as implementing agencies for the United States and the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES) as the French implementing agency. This agreement builds upon a strong record of bilateral cooperation in the use of outer space for peaceful purposes. NASA and CNES are currently undertaking several major joint satellite projects, including the CALIPSO and Jason missions, which are enhancing our understanding of the role of the oceans and clouds in the global climate system. NASA and CNES are also cooperating on many space science programs in such fields as solar system exploration, astronomy, microgravity, and data collection. In addition, NOAA is involved in work with CNES on environmental monitoring, the Argos data collection system, and collaboration on life-saving search and rescue satellite systems.

The framework agreement expands opportunities for cooperation on new bilateral space programs between U.S. and French implementing agencies. Future activities under the agreement are expected to include the follow-on to Jason, the Ocean Surface Topography Mission satellite, which is scheduled to launch in 2008 in conjunction with the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites. Other future activities could include NASA-CNES cooperation on the exploration of the moon and Mars.