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ISS Intergovernmental Agreement


Artist's impression, current configuration of the ISS. (Image: ESA/D.Ducros)

The International Space Station is a co-operative programme between the United States , Russia , Canada , Japan and Europe . It is governed by an international treaty, signed by the Member States on 29 January 1998, called the ISS Intergovernmental Agreement, which provides the framework for design, development, operation, and utilisation of a permanently inhabited civil Space Station for peaceful purposes.

Eleven Member States of the European Space Agency signed the agreement on behalf of Europe: Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

Furthermore, bilateral Memoranda of Understanding exist between NASA and each of the four associated space agencies: The European Space Agency (ESA), Russian Federal Space Agency, (FKA or Roscosmos, formerly Rosaviakosmos), the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA, formerly NASDA), outlining relevant ISS responsibilities, obligations and rights between the agencies.
National jurisdiction of the International Partner States extends to the ISS elements in orbit. This applies to areas such as criminal matters, liability issues, and protection of intellectual property rights.

Utilisation is outlined in the Memoranda of Understanding. The European Space Agency has an  allocation of 8.3% of the Space Station resources, which are available for utilisation by the non-Russian partners, in particular, 8.3% of crew time. In compensation for the provision of these resources (energy, robotics, cooling, telecommunications, etc.) by NASA and CSA, Europe provides 49% of the Columbus Laboratory's research locations to NASA and CSA.

In order to optimise the utilisation of the Station's resources, ESA and the other Space Station International Partners can barter or sell their unused utilisation rights among themselves and to other non-participants to the Station's programme.