Deputy Director General of the National Space Agency of Ukraine (NSAU), Eduard Kuznetsov, has called for increased collaboration between the Ukraine and Europe in space. Speaking at the first meeting of the “EU-Ukraine Joint ad hoc Working Group on Peaceful Use of Outer Space” on 27 March 2003, Kuznetsov offered to modify the Ukraine’s long-term space programme with the objective of integrating it into the emerging EU space strategy. The development of space co-operation with the Ukraine had already been referred to explicitly in the EU/Ukraine Partnership and Co-operation Agreement of March 2000.

Increased co-operation with the EU is a key priority at the highest level of the Ukranian government. On 18 June 2002, President Kouchma spoke to his Parliament of the “European choice” for the Ukraine, proposing a wide-ranging reform programme with accession to the EU in 2011 as its ultimate objective. The EU Council has encouraged Kiev’s structural reforms aimed at moving the Ukraine towards a market-based economy as soon as possible. The Danish presidency held an EU-Ukraine summit on 4 July 2002.

Significant space resources
The Ukraine inherited approximately 15% of the space-related capabilities of the former Soviet Union, including in the areas of launch vehicles, satellites and payloads. Important research centres have been established, representing a significant amount of available expertise, and other investments have been made in the space sector.

Commercial space-related activities are not currently thriving in the Ukraine, but industrial co-operation is ongoing with both American and European space industries, notably in the area of launcher technologies. The NSAU, created in 1993, is collaborating with the European Space Agency (ESA) and is currently involved in a number of small TACIS/Bistro-funded projects.

Areas of interest

The Ukraine has expressed specific interest in collaboration in the following areas:

  • Modification of the national ground system for space-based navigation within the European GNSS, EGNOS and future GALILEO systems;
  • Launching GALILEO satellites and space research vehicles using Ukrainian facilities;
  • Use of Ukrainian ground-based infrastructure for space vehicle management;
  • Co-operation within the GMES programme.

Looking ahead
At the meeting on 27 March, EC representatives presented the Space Green Paper. The Ukrainian delegation stressed the high importance of this document and stated that it will be very influential in the definition of a long-term Ukrainian space strategy. The Ukraine is expected to participate in the Prague consultation workshop, which will focus on international co-operation.

The Ukraine has also expressed strong interest in the European Commission’s Sixth Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP6), which includes space as a priority area. NSAU, together with the Ukrainian Academy of Science, has decided to organise a seminar on space-related research under FP6, in order to facilitate the integration of Ukrainian researchers into this framework. The next meeting of the EU-Ukraine Joint ad hoc Working Group will take place in conjunction with this FP6 workshop, expected to take place in Kiev in November 2003.