Ukraine's parliament advances bill to create Space Forces as new military branch

Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, approved a bill in its first reading to establish Space Forces as a new branch of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on Nov. 9, according to Bill No. 13255 , published on the parliament’s website.

The bill passed its first reading with 252 votes.

The legislation aims to develop the organizational, legal, institutional and military-technical capabilities needed to counter aggression from space by Russia and other potential adversaries.

The proposed measures include developing space technologies to strengthen Ukraine’s defenses, establishing a domestic early warning system for missile launches, developing systems to counter missile attacks and creating a national secure satellite communications network for the country’s security and defense sector.

An explanatory note accompanying the bill states that establishing Space Forces is technically feasible thanks to Ukraine’s scientific, engineering and manufacturing capabilities. It also cites space projects Ukraine has undertaken in cooperation with Luxembourg, Poland, the Czech Republic and Sweden.

The Guardian reported on Nov. 8 that Ukraine had already conducted at least three tests of systems designed to intercept missiles in near-Earth space to counter Russian Oreshnik missiles.

In late October, Ukrainian technology company Himera, working with Danish company GomSpace, successfully placed the Obria nano test satellite into Earth orbit. The launch is intended to lay the groundwork for an autonomous Ukrainian network of approximately 245 satellites.

If you find an error in the text, select it with the mouse and click Ctrl + Enter