The Russian government has approved negotiations between Roscosmos and NASA on a fourth addendum to the agreement on cross-flights to the International Space Station (ISS), according to an order published on the official legal information portal.

"To approve the proposal of the State Space Corporation Roscosmos, coordinated with the Russian Foreign Ministry and other interested federal executive authorities, to hold negotiations on concluding a fourth addendum to the Arrangement on the Implementation of the Agreement between the State Space Corporation Roscosmos (the Russian Federation) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the United States of America regarding flights of integrated crews aboard Russian and US crewed transport spacecraft," the document said.

In late November, NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Operations Kenneth Bowersox said that the United States and Russia were working to extend the ISS cross-flight program.