On Thursday, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine commented on Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s announcement of Canada’s support for the Gateway lunar outpost and deep space exploration.
“NASA is thrilled that Canada is the first international partner for the Gateway lunar outpost. Space exploration is in Canada’s DNA. In 1962, Canada became the third nation to launch a satellite into orbit with Alouette 1,” said Bridenstine.
Bridenstine continued, “Today, Canada leads the world in space-based robotic capabilities, enabling critical repairs to the Hubble Space Telescope and construction of the International Space Station. Our new collaboration on Gateway will enable our broader international partnership to get to the Moon and eventually to Mars.”
NASA’s Exploration Campaign includes U.S. leadership in low-Earth orbit, in orbit around the Moon and on its surface, and at destinations far beyond, including Mars. NASA image
International cooperation is the new norm in space and continues in the footsteps set by the 14 governments who signed the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) on Space Station Cooperation in January 1998 – the United States, Russia, Japan, Canada, and ten member states of the European Space Agency (Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland).
Learn more about NASA’s Moon to Mars exploration plan.