The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Andriy Parubiy congratulated the workers of the rocket and space industry of Ukraine on their professional holiday.
Dear friends!
I heartily congratulate you on the professional holiday - the Day of Workers of the Rocket and Space Industry of Ukraine, the World Day of Aviation and Astronautics* and the International Day of Human Space Flight**.
On this day, we are not only glancing back again at the past achievements, but we also compare them with the burning challenges and tasks we are going to be dealing with in the 21st century.
The space industry, in which a significant part of the intellectual, scientific and technical elite of Ukraine is concentrated, has convincingly proved its vitality, dynamism, and ability to work in difficult modern conditions. So, over the years of independence, the industry has together with foreign partners created new space rocket systems: ‘Sea Launch’, ‘Antares’, and ‘Vega’. In pursuance of such large-scale projects, the best traditions of Ukrainian rocketry and astronautics are being continued.
The current generation of Ukrainian rocket builders is seeking and implementing new forms of cooperation with leading aerospace corporations of the world, which enables attracting sizeable foreign investments. A range of programmes of innovation development of the industry, application of space technologies in the production of competitive products and creation of a national fund of high technologies are being implemented on a regular basis. This is a good launching pad for new successful startups.
To all of you I
wish a life of joy and passion, kindness and health, inspiration and energy in
the work towards the future, to increase the cosmic achievements of our
Motherland.
Andriy Parubiy, Parliament Speaker
Worthy of note
* In November 1968, delegates of the 61st General Conference of the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI - World Air Sports Federation) decided to celebrate World Day of Aviation and Astronautics every April 12. The celebration of this day was confirmed by the April 30, 1969 decision of the FAI Council.
** The UN General Assembly, in its resolution A/RES/65/271 of 7 April 2011, declared 12 April as the International Day of Human Space Flight “to celebrate each year at the international level the beginning of the space era for mankind, reaffirming the important contribution of space science and technology in achieving sustainable development goals and increasing the well-being of States and peoples, as well as ensuring the realization of their aspiration to maintain outer space for peaceful purposes”.
12 April 1961 was the date of the first human space flight, carried out by Yuri Gagarin, a Soviet citizen. This historic event opened the way for space exploration for the benefit of all humanity. The General Assembly hereby expressed its deep conviction of the common interest of mankind in promoting and expanding the exploration and use of outer space, as the province of all mankind, for peaceful purposes and in continuing efforts to extend to all States the benefits derived there from.