Says Exploration Beyond Low-Earth Orbit Will Require International Cooperation

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden (pictured) was among the heads of the world's space agencies to participate in a summit held specifically for those leaders Wednesday in Washington, DC.

After the meeting, Bolden congratulated the International Academy of Astronautics on the 50th anniversary of its founding in Stockholm, Sweden, and  for its dedication during the past five decades in bringing the world's experts together to discuss and promote space research and exploration. He also praised congratulate the academy on supporting the Heads of Space Agencies Summit.

"More than two dozen leaders attended this meeting to discuss issues almost all countries are grappling with, such as changing national priorities and stagnant budgets," Bolden said. "NASA has been actively working with many of the space agencies attending the summit to further our common understanding of exploration and establish global partnerships."

The NASA administrator said the agency recognizes that exploration beyond low-Earth orbit will involve the coordination, cooperation and support of other countries. "This theme of international coordination has been the purpose of developing a global exploration strategy, which many of the countries represented at the summit actively support," he said. "It is my hope that more countries will become supportive of this cooperative dialogue and adopt a global exploration roadmap. With a roadmap in place, the participating agencies and their countries will benefit enormously from a comprehensive, global approach to space exploration. I can assure you that as we look to the future, international cooperation will continue to be a cornerstone of NASA's exploration activities."

FMI: www.nasa.gov