25 February 2008, 14:33
The Management of the National Cosmic Agency of Ukraine has appealed to the Committee, asking it to uphold the National Research and Engineering Target Space Programme 2008/12, which envisages an annual funding of up to UAH 300,000,000. The Agency considers this amount ‘is the minimum sum required to make possible the existence of this sector, and its engagement in International Global Space Research´.
This fourth programme is primarily aimed at ‘developing and effectively utilising the cosmic space potential towards resolving the pressing issues of sustainable development, safety, launching up-to-date technologies and furthering the progress of science and education´.
The funds will be used towards reconstruction of the Pivdenmash Plant in Dnipropetrovsk, Arsenal Plant in Kyiv, and other projects.
N. Korolevska, Committee Chairman, noted that ‘the questions raised are topical, and Committee members are going to put them under scrutiny´. A proposal was put forward to organise an on-site meeting at important industrial sites, in order ‘to become familiar with the problems of this sector in more detail´.
Committee members expressed their belief that this will be a concrete Programme, to be first approved by The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, with consequent joint discussions by the Committee.
‘We are willing to assist The National Space Agency through upholding the Programme in Parliament and Government,´ stressed N. Korolevska. To her mind, ‘it is important that more realistic principles underpin the provisions of this Programme, which should draw on experiences so far gained together with the country´s capabilities´.
The Committee Chairman feels that ‘this Programme requires an absolutely new and objective approach to the development of the Space sector in Ukraine´. She also said that she expects legislative initiatives to be introduced, which would effectively further the progress of this sector.