Russian and European Scientists are currently preparing an agreement on combined exploration of the Moon, according to Lev Zelyony, head of the Space Research Institute at the Russian Academy of Sciences.

      The agreement seems to follow previous ExoMars joined program which was approved by Russia and EU in spring 2012. This time Roscosmos and the European Space Agency plan to open a new page in the history of the Moon exploration.

      According to Lev Zelyony, the leaders of both sides have already affirmed their willingness to fulfill existing agreements and to sign new ones. Russian authorities have repeatedly named the exploration of the Moon and Mars a priority for the Russian space program.

      A landing on the Moon is expected in 2030 with the subsequent deployment of a manned base, where test sites for the accumulation and transfer of energy over large distances and new engines tests will be gradually deployed. Till then the scientists plan to fulfill three moon missions, including landing rovers and launching satellites.

      The ExoMasr program will start in 2016 with the launch of the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) satellite for collecting data. Then the Mars rover is expected to reach the planet in 2019 for performing geological analyses of the planet's soil and search for traces of life.