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The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine has a new department, the Space Policy Department, which will be responsible for the development of military space technologies. This was announced on 30 March by the defence ministry’s press service during the Space For Ukraine forum.
The initiative was presented by Kateryna Chernogorenko, Deputy Minister of Defence for Digitalisation, who emphasised that the new structure will become a single point of entry for interaction between scientists, developers, entrepreneurs and international partners in the space sector.
Space for defence
The main goal of the newly created department is to systematise Ukraine’s internal and external capabilities in the field of space security and to develop a long-term strategy for the development of military space.
The agency presented a 10-year development roadmap consisting of three stages:
1. The first two years will be spent on auditing the space infrastructure, identifying critical needs, and creating strategic documents.
2. The medium-term stage is the development of Ukrainian satellites and space situational awareness systems and their integration into defence technologies.
3. The final goal is to create a full-fledged defence space segment, a satellite group capable of providing real-time analytics and integrating into global security systems.
“Despite the challenges of a full-scale war, we have not only maintained our ambitions in the space sector, but are also ready to implement them. For decades, Ukrainian scientists, engineers and industrialists have been creating a powerful base. Today, we are building the future of defence space on it,” Chernogorenko emphasised.
New direction – new opportunities
The Space Policy Directorate will also be responsible for shaping the regulatory framework, analysing modern technologies and developing partnerships with other countries. This centralised structure will help avoid duplication, speed up processes and create a competitive ecosystem of Ukrainian space defence technologies.
At a time of war, when the space above our heads is no less important than the ground beneath our feet, Ukraine is making a serious bid for its own presence in space – with Ukrainian satellites, solutions and technologies.
