RSC Energia, a major Russian aerospace company, and Boeing Defense, Space & Security have been thrashing out the details of a long-term deal to cooperate on lunar construction and deep space exploration, Energia’s director told Izvestia daily.
The lunar cooperation is said to be a part of a comprehensive agreement that aims to put an end to a protracted legal dispute between the two companies involving another Russian company, Sea Launch, which had been jointly owned by RSC Energia and BDS, but has since gone bankrupt.
The preparatory work has been going smoothly and a final agreement is expected by the end of November, Director of RSC Energia Vladimir Solntsev told Izvestia on Thursday.
“We are drafting a document that not only describes the conclusion of the proceedings, but also designs a program of long-term cooperation on the wide range of issues,” Solntsev said, adding that the companies’ lawyers have been finalizing the text of the agreement.
“We are working on coordination projects at low Earth orbit, development of lunar infrastructure and exploration of deep space,” he specified
Solntsev noted that the companies intend to develop compatible designs that could be used in the construction of the proposed international Lunar Orbital Station.
“In particular, we are talking about devising compatible docking ports and blocks that would allow Russian space equipment to successfully interoperate with Boeing spaceships,” Solntsev said.
It was revealed in May that NASA and Energia are discussing the possibility of creating a joint space station orbiting the moon that could be functioning by the end of the next decade.
The station would serve as a transport hub for navigation, maintenance, and communications during lunar missions, as well as unmanned Mars-bound missions.