The federal law ratifies the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the French Republic on Long-term Cooperation in the Design, Development and Use of Launch Vehicles and the Operation of Soyuz-ST Launch Vehicles at the Guyana Space Centre, signed in Paris on November 7, 2003.
The agreement sets out the conditions for extensive cooperation between Russia and France in the design, development and use of launch vehicles and also covers promising new technical and technology cooperation projects in line with the European Space Agency’s activities, including the commercial operation of Soyuz-ST launch vehicles at the Guyana Space Centre.
The agreement stipulates the exclusive rights of the European company to carry out commercial operations using the Soyuz-ST launch vehicle at the Guyana Space Centre and establishes Russia’s sovereign right to use the launch vehicles in its own interests.
Each launch of a Soyuz-ST launch vehicle will be drawn up as a contract between the operator of the launch and the Russian supplier companies.