The International Space Station (ISS) partners have begun reviewing their on-board hardware with the goal of certifying it for use until 2028 even as they seek ways to reduce the annual operating costs of the orbital complex, the partners said in a joint statement Thursday.

Meeting in Tokyo, the heads of space agencies from the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan and Canada expressed approval at the U.S. President Barack Obama's proposal to continue NASA use of the space station until 2020, and said operating beyond that date should also be considered.

"[T]here are no identified technical constraints to continuing ISS operations beyond the current planning horizon of 2015 to at least 2020 ... the Partnership is currently working to certify on-orbit elements through 2028," the five agencies said in a statement, adding that they share a "strong mutual interest in continuing operations and utilisation for as long as the benefits of ISS exploitation are demonstrated."

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