Lithuania wants to become an associate member of the European Space Agency (ESA) as fast as possible to allow its citizens to apply for the astronaut selection programme this year, Economy and Innovation Minister Aušrinė Armonaitė said on Wednesday.
"We are in a hurry because we want to ratify this agreement in May, earlier than planned, so that Lithuanian citizens could also participate in the selection of astronauts," she told the cabinet.
Lithuania's membership will benefit both businesses and scientists as it will open up access to the agency’s programmes, the minister said, adding that the country will be able to choose which ESA programmes to participate in.
The parliament has until September 27 to ratify the agreement.
LRT English
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