The intergovernmental agreement on the International Space Station

After Russia joined the ISS programme in 1994 it was realized that a new intergovernmental agreement would be needed in order to clarify the roles and responsibilities of all the partners. The Head of the Russian delegation to the negotations on the agreement between 1994 and 1998 here describes the various steps taken to reach it. As well as requiring legislation on new areas such as national criminal jurisdiction, the negotiations had to take account of the differing legal norms and cultures in all the various countries party to the agreement, but principally Russia and the USA. The final part of the article presents an up-to-date overview of the vital statistics and capabilities of, and type of work expected to be performed on, the ISS. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.