OREANDA-NEWS Sergey Shakhray, a Russian statesman, legal scholar, Doctor of Law and Professor, expressed his point of view on international cooperation in space. He said that, despite disagreements between countries, this sphere should be out of politics.

Shakhray claimed: "Even in the most severe times of the Cold War, the two space powers - the Soviet Union and the United States - were able to find a common language, agree on positions and create basic principles, basic space treaties, which became the basis of international space law. No matter what topics we talk about today, no matter what disputes we have, the resulting vector will be the same: we can only deal with space, manage the activities of states and private companies in space. Many legislative acts important for peaceful space were adopted even during the least peaceful times on Earth. Space has become a neutral zone because there are things more important than political or economic contradictions. It's about our common heritage".

Currently, the fate of the ISS remains uncertain because of the crisis in relations between Russia and the United States, but the parties may agree to extend the station's operation. It was reported that the European Space Agency announced the termination of cooperation with Roscosmos on missions to the Moon and Mars. Meanwhile, in June 2021, Russia and China presented a "roadmap" for the construction of a joint lunar base.