An article by science journalist Olena Zelenina "Kharkiv in the 'Artemis Accords'. A country that stops looking at the sky sooner or later loses its land too" was published in the pages of "Hromada. Group".
It is probably known to everyone that for the first time since 1972 a manned spacecraft has been sent to the Moon. The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft successfully launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida, opening a new era of NASA's Artemis program. However, not everyone knows that Ukrainian enterprises are also participating in this program.
As early as 2020, Ukraine became the ninth signatory country of the "Artemis Accords," which was not just a declaration of friendship but an entry ticket to the global space market. And even despite the large-scale war, our country remains in the game.
"When you hear about the Gateway station modules or the Blue Ghost lander from Firefly Aerospace, know that there is a share of Ukrainian intellectual labor there. Our engineers develop landing systems and engines in conditions of international cooperation," the article states.
It is also noted that despite constant shelling, the main structure of the first stage of the launch vehicle and part of the ground equipment were developed by the Design Bureau "Pivdenne" and manufactured by the Southern Machine-Building Plant (Dnipro) in cooperation with Ukrainian enterprises "Kyivprylad" (Kyiv), "Hartron-Arkos" (Kharkiv), "Hartron-Yukom" (Zaporizhzhia), "Cezar Telemetry," and "Rapid" (Chernihiv) on behalf of Northrop Grumman Corporation (USA). The preparation of PH Antares, its testing, and launch were carried out with the participation of specialists from SE "KB "Pivdenne," SE "VO PMZ," and LLC "Hartron-Arkos."
It is also interesting that specialists from SE "KB "Pivdenne" provided real-time technical support for the launch and fully ensured the execution of all operations in their area of responsibility. Meanwhile, scientists in Kharkiv continue research on the behavior of metals and superconductors in space. This is critical knowledge for building future lunar bases.
"Indeed, Ukraine today cannot afford its own space program, but we do not have the right to fall out of the global team. Even if our contribution today is 'invisible' algorithms and complex boards from shelled Kharkiv, they must fly to the Moon. A country that stops looking at the sky sooner or later loses its land too," — concludes Olena Zelenina.