MOSCOW – Russia’s space agency announced Thursday it will assist Myanmar in choosing and preparing the Southeast Asian nation’s inaugural astronaut, marking another step in strengthening diplomatic relationships between the two countries.
The commitment came during a Myanmar visit this week by Dmitry Bakanov, who leads Russia’s space organization Roscosmos. Bakanov formalized an agreement with Myanmar officials focused on advancing collaboration in human spaceflight programs.
According to Roscosmos, Bakanov also conducted meetings with Min Aung Hlaing, who leads Myanmar’s ruling military government.
As part of the space cooperation deal, Myanmar will establish a ground station to support Russia’s GLONASS satellite positioning network and will host facilities designed to monitor dangerous debris and objects orbiting near Earth, the Russian space agency announced.
The space partnership builds on recent diplomatic exchanges, including Min Aung Hlaing’s Moscow visit last year for discussions with President Vladimir Putin. Following those talks, both nations finalized an investment agreement that Russia anticipates will create new opportunities for its energy sector companies in Myanmar.
Russia has additionally committed to constructing a compact nuclear power facility in Myanmar, where military leaders overthrew the democratically elected administration of Nobel Peace Prize recipient Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021.
