The UK Space Agency has committed to working closely with its equivalent in Ukraine as the countries look to develop one of the most promising industries for the future.
An agreement was signed between the UK Space Agency and the State Space Agency of Ukraine during a meeting at the Ukrainian embassy in London.
The memorandum of understanding, which marks the first agency-to-agency agreement between the nations, commits the UK and Ukraine to jointly work in the space sector in support of both the UK-Ukraine 100 Year Partnership agreement and the government’s Modern Industrial Strategy.
As part of the collaboration, UK and Ukrainian space organisations will be encouraged to work together and exchange information.
“Space is central to modern economies, from communications and navigation to climate monitoring and infrastructure resilience. This agreement marks an important step in strengthening our partnership with Ukraine in the civil and commercial space sector,” said Dr Paul Bate, chief executive of the UK Space Agency.
“By working together, we can support innovation, unlock new commercial opportunities for UK and Ukrainian organisations, and harness space technologies to deliver real-world benefits for our citizens.”
The UK Space Agency will contribute €100,000 (£86,410) to support a programme of joint activities between the European Space Agency, which the UK is a member of, and the State Space Agency of Ukraine.
“The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the State Space Agency of Ukraine and the UK Space Agency is an important step in strengthening cooperation between our countries in the space sector,” said Volodymyr Mikheiev, acting head of the State Space Agency of Ukraine.
“We highly value the opportunity to begin a closer dialogue and exchange of experience between our agencies, as well as to bring our national space sectors closer together. I am confident that our partnership will contribute to the development of joint space initiatives for the benefit of the people of Ukraine and the United Kingdom.”