You're reading: Ukraine plans to set up international space center

Ukraine plans to set up an international space research center on the basis of the National Space Control and Testing Center in Yevpatoria, Ukrainian State Space Agency advisor Eduard Kuznetsov told the media in Kyiv on Thursday.

Russia is showing the highest interests in the technical capabilities of the Yevpatoria center, which are likely to be used in a Russian space research program before the end of the year, he said.

"We also want to draw colleagues from Europe and other countries to cooperation in forming an international space center," Kuznetsov said.

In 2010, Ukraine and Russia agreed to use the Yevpatoria center’s technical capabilities, primarily its Kvant-D radio engineering complex [with one of the world’s largest RT-70 radio-telescopes], in implementing Russian prospective Phobos-Grunt and Spektr-RG space programs.

The research programs under the Russian federal space program for 2006-15 are to be launched in 2011-12.

The Phobos-Grunt program envisions the launch of a spaceship to the Martian moon, Phobos, which will take soil samples and bring them to Earth for studies of their structure and physical and chemical characteristics.

The data to be obtained will throw light on the origin of the Martian satellites and interaction between small celestial bodies of the Solar System and the solar wind.

In addition to this, Mars will be remotely monitored. The Phobos-Grunt will serve as the basic space platform for other fundamental space research projects.

The Phobos-Grunt spacecraft is to be launched in November 2011.

The Spektr-RG project envisions the launch of an astrophysical laboratory which will study astrophysical objects in the X-ray and Gamma ranges. The launch is scheduled for 2012.