ESA'sDirector General Antonio Rodoto and the Director General of the RussianAviation and Space Agency (Rosaviakosmos) Yuri Koptev recently signed anagreement for European astronauts to fly to the International Space Station(ISS) on Russian Souyz launchers in the period 2001 to 2006.

ESA astronauts will perform the duties of flight engineerin both "taxi flights" and "increment flights". "Taxiflights" are short-duration flights (7 8 days) to the International SpaceStation with the purpose of exchanging the Soyuz capsule, which is permanentlydocked to the Station to be used as a rescue vehicle. "Incrementflights" are crew exchange flights which may require the astronauts tostay on board the Station for up to 3-4 months.

Theagreement (technically know as a "Framework agreement") sets the generalprinciples, terms and conditions of the ESA-Rosaviakosmos cooperation while thetype of flight, the experimental program content and the cost of each specificflight will be negotiated accordingly on a case-by-case basis. The totalpackage price will include the cost for the training, planning and preparationof the missions, the onboard stay, and the upload and download of flightequipment needed for the specific experimental program. The number of flightopportunities is currently not specified, but it will be in the order of onemission per year.

Thisagreement represents an important step in the development of operationalexpertise for the European Astronaut Corps before commencing intensive utilizationof the International Space Station for scientific research, Earth observation,technology development, material science and human physiology experiments, withthe launch of ESA's Columbus laboratory in 2004.

"Theagreement supports the Russian effort in the space arena with the involvementof European professional astronauts and it shows a further sign of theincreasingly strong cooperation between ESA and Rosaviakosmos," said ESA'sDirector General Antonio Rodoto.

TheItalian Space Agency ASI has already taken the first option for a flight by anESA astronaut. Roberto Vittori, an Italian national and a member of the ESA'sAstronaut Corps since 1998, will receive his first assignment as flightengineer on the first available Soyuz taxi flight after October 2001.