NASA Administrator Charles F. Bolden visits CNES

Charles F. Bolden, Administrator of the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), met CNES President Jean-Yves Le Gall today at CNES head office in Paris. The two agency heads pursued their fruitful discussions on joint projects now being finalized and making the headlines in space.

In 50 years of joint accomplishments in space and illustrious achievements in science and technology, France and the United States have forged close ties. Charles F. Bolden’s visit to CNES head office in Paris to meet his counterpart Jean-Yves Le Gall and finalize details on the projects on which NASA and CNES are currently working together confirms this longstanding relationship.

Discussions focused on a number of topics crucial to the two partners, notably InSight, SWOT and exploitation of the International Space Station (ISS). The top priority for the two agency heads is the InSight Mars exploration mission led by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), scheduled to launch early in 2016. A formal agreement currently being drafted is expected to be ready for signing in February. In the field of space oceanography, SWOT (Surface Water Ocean Topography), an extremely innovative French-U.S. mission designed to study oceans and continental water bodies, completed phase A operations in 2013, paving the way for another agreement to be signed this year. Mr Bolden and Mr Le Gall also discussed the pursuit of ISS operations following the United States’ announcement on 9 January that it is extending exploitation of the space station to 2024.

After the meeting, Jean-Yves Le Gall stated: “It’s always a huge pleasure to talk with Charlie Bolden, a leading figure in space and a key partner and faithful ally. This meeting today is testimony not only to our excellent relations but also to the importance for our two nations of meeting regularly to sustain our cooperation and formalize our agreements. Recent events confirm that the United States is without any doubt France’s number one international partner in space.”

CNES press contacts
Alain Delrieu Tel. +33 (0)1 44 76 74 04 alain.delrieu@cnes.fr
Julien Watelet Tel. +33 (0)1 44 76 78 37 julien.watelet@cnes.fr
www.cnes.fr/presse

CP014-2014 - Visite Bolden2_va.pdf (pdf - 164.44 KB)