BEIJING, April 20. /TASS/. Expanding the number of participants in international cooperation in space will lead to progress in this sphere, Russian cosmonaut and Roscosmos executive director for manned space programs Sergey Krikalev said on Thursday.

"The expansion of space activities will lead to increased international cooperation in missions beyond low Earth orbit," the Russian cosmonaut said, speaking online at the Dialogue between representatives of students and schoolchildren of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) countries and members of the Shenzhou 15 spacecraft crew.

Speaking at the event, SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming and Vice Chairman of the SCO Good-Neighborly Friendship and Cooperation Committee Cui Li agreed on the need to increase international cooperation in space.

During the Dialogue, schoolchildren and students from SCO countries posed questions to participants of the Shenzhou 15 space mission, currently on board China's new Tiangong space station, about the specifics of their work. Cai Xuzhe, a member of China's Shenzhou 14 space mission, also attended the event.

The Shenzhou 15 crew includes three astronauts: Fei Junlong, Deng Qingming and Zhang Lu. China's Tiangong station is now at an altitude of about 400 km and will be in space for more than 10 years. It is designed for three people (but may welcome up to six for a short period of time during crew changes). The weight of the T-shaped complex, which has three docking units and an airlock for getting out into space, is 66 tons, the volume of the compartments reaches 110 cubic meters. The orbital object is expected to work in normal mode until the end of this year and, as Chinese authorities promise, will be available for international projects.