You're reading: Space sector to focus on creating new rocket technologies in 2016

One of the top priorities of the aerospace sector of Ukraine in 2015 will be the creation of new rocket technologies, Head of the State Space Agency of Ukraine (SSAU) Liubomyr Sabadosh has said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

Assessing the top priorities in the sector, taking into account the budget financing in 2016, he said that taking into account the current situation in the country, the top priority for us is the creation of new rocket technologies – these are new engines, new satellites, new types of rockets and the provision for the interests of the state in the national security and defense sector.

“We plan to develop the Sich national group of Earth remote sensing satellites that includes the creation and preparation for the launch of space vehicles and the further development of overland infrastructure,” he said, adding that the preparations for the creation of the Ukrainian segment of the international aerospace monitoring data system has been started. It is to become a part of the general European research space in the Earth remote sensing segment.

Commenting on the positive moments of the sector budget for 2016, Sabadosh said that in 2016 the financing of the national space program is foreseen in full, which is first in the past six or seven years: UAH 223 million, which is 4.5 times up on 2015. The defense programs’ share will be one third of the total financing.

The largest funds – UAH 1.85 billion or 56% of the financing – will be sent to fulfill debt liabilities on the credits taken in the previous years to realize the Cyclone 4 and National Satellite Communications System projects.