About the role that space technologies play in modern warfare and whether our country has a chance to maintain its positions in the global space industry, told the director of the Institute of Space Research of the NAS of Ukraine and the State Space Agency of Ukraine, corresponding member of the NAS of Ukraine Oleg Fedorov in an interview for the program "About Science. Competently".
According to the scientist, Ukraine has been living for several years without an approved state space program and full leadership of the space agency. At the same time, modern space is not only a matter of prestige or rocket building, but the foundation of the security, economy, and technological development of states.
Oleg Fedorov emphasized that satellite technologies today have become critically important for defense, navigation, the agricultural sector, monitoring destruction, and planning the country's reconstruction. A special role is played by the Earth Intelligence direction – the integration of satellite data and artificial intelligence tools into state management systems.
Despite the crisis in the industry, Ukraine, according to the scientist, maintains strong positions in a number of high-tech areas. This concerns, in particular, engine building, materials science, space biology, and docking systems for international space missions.
Oleg Fedorov also drew attention to the need to develop a national satellite constellation and create conditions for involving the private sector in the space industry. He stressed that without state incentives, innovative policy, and strategic vision, Ukraine risks turning from an active participant in the space market into a consumer of foreign technologies.
The material also discusses global trends in the development of the space economy, the growing role of private companies in space programs, and new security challenges related to the use of space technologies during the war.