Posted: Wed, Jan 19, 2005, 8:07 PM ET (0107 GMT)
The heads of the European Space Agency and Russia's Federal Space Agency (Roskosmos) signed an agreement in Moscow Wednesday to cooperate on the development of future launch vehicles. The agreement specifies that the two agencies will work together in "preparation activities" associated with the development of new launch vehicles. ESA has stated that it plans to have a new launch vehicle available to replace the Ariane 5 in 2020. The agreement is part of existing broader cooperation between ESA and Roskosmos that includes the development of launch facilities in Kourou, French Guiana to handle launches of Russia's Soyuz launch vehicles.

Related Links:

•  RIA Novosti article
•  BBC article
•  AFP article
•  Itar-Tass article
•  ESA press release