spacetoday.net: NASA, Russia reach agreement on future Soyuz missions

NASA, Russia reach agreement on future Soyuz missions

Posted: Mon, Oct 18, 2004, 8:26 AM ET (1226 GMT)
Soyuz TMA-1 spacecraft docking with ISS (NASA)

Officials with NASA and the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roskosmos) announced Saturday that they have reached an agreement to continue to supply Soyuz spacecraft to the ISS into 2006. Officials said that NASA will use a barter system to pay for Soyuz missions to the ISS through at least April 2006, according to news reports. Negotiations are continuing to extend the agreement to 2010. What NASA will barter for the Soyuz was not announced. Russia's original commitment to provide Soyuz spacecraft to ISS expires next year, and current US law prevents NASA from directly paying for Soyuz spacecraft or other Russian hardware for the ISS.