Ukraine plans to launch the remote sensing spacecraft Sich 2-30 (2-1) into Earth orbit by the end of 2021, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Strategic Industries of Ukraine Oleh Urusky has said.
As reported on the website of the Ministry for Strategic Industries of Ukraine, he announced this during a meeting with spacecraft developers and customers of satellite services.
“We should take all the necessary measures to ensure that this happens by the end of 2021, the year of the 30th anniversary of Ukraine’s Independence. And this is quite realistic, provided that we work as efficiently as possible and this is an urgent need,” the press service quoted Urusky.
According to him, the presence of such a spacecraft will not only help solve a wide range of problems, both in the interests of the economy and law enforcement agencies, but it will also save budget money that is being spent today on the purchase of services provided by such spacecraft abroad.
The Ministry for Strategic Industries said that organizational and technical issues were discussed during the meeting, as well as projects for the creation of a constellation of satellites from Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute and the Pivdenne (Yuzhnoye) Design Bureau were presented.
As a result of the meeting, the need to strengthen cooperation between the State Space Agency of Ukraine, Kyiv Polytechnic Institute and the Pivdenne Design Bureau on joint projects was noted, attention was focused on accumulation of all appropriate resources to solve the tasks in 2021, as well as on taking steps to launch into orbit of the third satellite PolyITAN-3, created by Kyiv Polytechnic Institute.
“There is a paradoxical situation: Ukraine has a significant scientific and technical potential and practically everything in order to have its own constellation of spacecraft in an Earth orbit, however, unfortunately, there is no such constellation. Various reasons can be given in this regard, but the situation needs to be changed,” the deputy prime minister said.
As reported, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has approved the Concept of the national target scientific and technical space program of Ukraine for 2021-2025.
