November 2019 – Ukraine's space
industry has entered a new era. On 25 October 2019 the President
signed the recently approved Law of Ukraine "On Amendments to
Certain Laws of Ukraine on the State Regulation of Space
Activities". The main purpose of the new legislation is to
commercialise space activities in Ukraine, which until now were
reserved for state operators. The changes take effect on 29 January
2020, with certain provisions taking effect in October next
year.
Ukraine was once a powerhouse of the Soviet space industry and
was an active space user after gaining independence in 1991.
Afterwards, the Ukrainian State Space Agency participated in
numerous space projects such as Sea Launch, Land Launch, Dnipro and
Twinning Space, and Ukrainian producers have supplied equipment
globally. Yuzhnoye Design Office and the YuzhMash rocket plant were
the backbone of the country's five space programs. However, due
to the termination of space co-operation with Russia and
