03/03/2014
The immersion of Ukraine in European space and satellite navigation programmes continues. Under the framework of the Ukrainian-Spanish twinning project led by the FIIAPP, entitled "Institutional strengthening in the execution of European space programmes in the field of EGNOS/GALILEO satellite navigation and GMES remote sensing", the second training visit of the State Space Agency of Ukraine (SSAU) to its Spanish counterpart and national collaborating institution in the project, the National Institute of Aerospace Technology (INTA), got underway today in Madrid.
Delegación ucraniana del SSAU en INTA con representantes del instituto nacional y de ISDEFEUkrainian delegation from SSAU in INTA with representatives of the national institute and ISDEFE
This recent twinning project, launched last October, aims to harmonize Ukrainian legislation on the space industry with the framework of the European Union (EU). “The Ukrainians are highly qualified. This is absolutely not a backward country in this field. They possess a third of the space industry of the former Soviet Union. The aim of this project is for them to be able to collaborate with other countries in the world, export their products and find international partners”, explains Pablo Haro, space navigation expert and member of ISDEFE, INTA’s main commercial partner in this project, who has visited Ukraine twice to train local staff.
This would mean its incorporation into the EU’s Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) system and access to the Galileo satellite navigation system, which would boost efforts to strengthen the Ukrainian system for prevention and detection of tsunamis, earthquakes, floods and accidents, among other natural disasters and incidents. “At the moment, the project is going great. The Ukrainians are very satisfied with what we’ve done up to now”, indicates José Manuel Gorostiaga, INTA member and coordinator of the twinning project in Spain. This translates into nine training visits to Ukraine and two to Spain of the 45 and 10 planned, respectively, for the 21 months of the project
This week’s visit concerns space navigation. One of the representatives of the Ukrainian delegation, Kostiantyn Volokh, states that they will use the Spanish and European experience in legislation and air navigation and what Ukraine has to offer, including its extensive network of 120 ground stations. “This twinning project can be very useful for Ukrainian public institutions, for the country’s businesses and for the population”, he emphasizes. It is a project that will strengthen the Ukrainian space industry and contribute added value to the European one. The SSAU delegation will be in the Spanish capital until next Friday learning about the work of INTA and other companies in this field: INDRA, TECNOBIT, GMVand ESSP.
