LONDON, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Britain and U.S. have signed a statement of intent, which paves the way for Britain's commercial satellite communication and navigation services to be used by future U.S. missions to the Moon, the British Space Agency said on Tuesday.

NASA (The National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and the UK Space Agency will establish a working group to coordinate joint scientific research and identify future opportunities to work together later this year.

The agreement was announced in a speech from Britain's Science Minister Chris Skidmore at an event in London today.

The British government is committed to growing its space sector, "fostering the key capabilities we have in areas such as satellite communications, navigation and robotics, while developing new facilities such as spaceports, as part of our Industrial Strategy", said Skidmore.

"International collaboration is at the heart of space exploration and we want to work with partners around the world to deliver incredible science, develop innovative technologies and explore the solar system," said Graham Turnock, CEO of UK Space Agency.

Aside from working with the U.S., Britain continues to be a leading and committed member of the European Space Agency (ESA), playing a major role in missions such as Solar Orbiter and ExoMars, both due to launch in 2020, according to the UK Space Agency.