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Azercosmos, the national space agency of Azerbaijan, and the French space agency, the Centre national d’études spatiales (CNES), have signed a space cooperation agreement which focuses specifically on collaboration in Earth observation.
This agreement gives fresh impetus to the Azerbaijani space programme, which gained momentum last year when Azercosmos was placed under direct authority of the Azerbaijani president, with a mandate to coordinate the country’s bilateral and multilateral cooperation for the peaceful uses of space. It also aligns with CNES’s policy of supporting its industry partners via cooperation.
The agreement was signed by CNES President Jean-Yves Le Gall and Rashad Nabiyev, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Azercosmos, as part of the official visit by the President of Azerbaijan to France. The French President was also present for its signing.
In the fight against climate change, Le Gall suggested to Nabiyev that the two agencies work together on the Space Climate Observatory, an international initiative led by France, aiming to use space assets to study climate change and its impacts on the planet and its populations. A demonstration of the first application scenarios of the Space Climate Observatory was held at the recent Toulouse Space Show.
“I am delighted at the signing of this framework agreement, which opens up a whole range of possibilities for our two countries to cooperate on the peaceful uses of space,” Le Gall commented after the signing ceremony. “During my last visit to Azerbaijan for the final of the ActInSpace contest, I realized the importance this country attaches to developing its space activities.”
