ESA and Ukraine finalize first contract paving way for agency membership
Negotiations to reach an agreement lasted two years (Photo: Getty Images)
The Institute of Space Research and the European Space Agency (ESA) are concluding their first contract, which will become a step toward our country's accession to the Agency. All details of the agreement have already been finalized after two years of negotiations, and the signing itself will take about another week, says chief research fellow and former director of the Space Research Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Oleh Fedorov, in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.
Key points:
- Official step. This agreement is the first official step toward Ukraine joining ESA, preceded by two years of negotiations.
- Satellites for the State Statistics Service. The goal of the project is to implement satellite observation results into national statistics.
- Funding. The funds transferred by the Ukrainian government to ESA will return to Ukrainian organizations through Agency contracts.
- Program. Europeans have already selected seven Ukrainian projects, four of them from the National Academy of Sciences.
What exactly will be done under the contract?
The project's main practical task is to implement satellite observation results into national statistics — the State Statistics Service. According to the expert, this is needed both for damage assessment and to monitor what is happening in different territories.
"Ukraine has long wanted to become a full member of the European Space Agency. And this agreement is the first official step toward accession. This was preceded by two years of negotiations. Everything has already been agreed upon, but the signing itself will still take about a week," Fedorov said.
The project will last 1.5 years. If this cooperation proves productive, it will be extended further.
Europeans have already selected seven Ukrainian projects. In addition to the Institute of Space Research, three more institutions from the National Academy of Sciences will participate in the projects.
Funding and nature of the agreement
Oleg Fedorov clearly outlined the nature of this cooperation when answering whether this is a partnership or a commercial agreement with direct profit for Ukraine.
"This is a landmark cooperation. We will not earn anything, but we will have the opportunity to work for modest money. At the first stage, the Ukrainian government transferred funds to ESA under the agreement, but they will return to Ukrainian organizations through contracts from the Agency," Fedorov emphasized.
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