You're reading: Russia, Ukraine, sign space cooperation program until 2016

Russia and Ukraine have signed a program for cooperation in space exploration and peaceful use for 2012-16.

The program was signed on June 27 by Russia’s federal space agency
Roscosmos chief Vladimir Popovkin and his Ukrainian counterpart Yury
Alexeyev after the 9th meeting of the interstate commission’s Committee
for Economic Cooperation.

The talks were followed by the signing of a supplement to the
intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in developing, making,
delivering and operating aviation equipment of August 20 1997.

The parties also signed the protocol of the Committee meeting.

Popovkin told reporters that the program envisions ‘the formation of a
common navigation and time space between Russia and Ukraine.”

It also says, Popovkin said, that Zenit launch vehicles will be
further used, the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences will conduct a series of
experiments on the International Space Station and a telecommunications
satellite will be built for Ukraine in Krasnoyarsk.

“The program also includes cooperation with the Ukrainian Academy of
Sciences through the Ukrainian space agency in space research,” Popovkin
said.