By Serhiy ZGURETS, The Day
Before year's end, ukraine plans to launch into space three satellites
with ukrainian carrier rockets, announced ukraine's national aerospace
agency director Oleksandr Nehoda.
Elated by the successful launch of the Zenit 3 SL carrier rocket from
the Pacific, performed under the Sea Start project, Oleksandr Nehoda said
that the next launch would be in less than two weeks. But this time it
will be another rocket, specifically the Dnipro carrier, a converted and
upgraded version of the SS-18 heavy intercontinental missile, once produced
by Pivdenmash and now subject to elimination under the START Treaty. Over
150 such missiles are currently in service in the Russian nuclear forces.
Thus, instead of putting nuclear warheads into orbit, the missiles will
make their last flight for the benefit of mankind. On April 21, one Dnipro
carrier rocket hosting a British satellite will be launched.
In May, the Ukrainian-Russian Okean (Ocean) satellite will be put into
orbit, and in December, a properly Ukrainian micro-satellite. According
to Mr. Nehoda, the satellites will be used for remote surveying of the
earth and for national security purposes. However, this security will not
be extended to military purposes. The satellites will be equipped with
devices capable of detecting objects with a minimum length of 15 meters,
while the military is interested in equipment with a detection sensitivity
of 5 meters or less.
Who then is the consumer for the information obtained by the Ukrainian
satellites, and will anybody pay for the expensive space data? Unfortunately,
all the ministries are now in an extremely difficult economic condition,
so we make information available practically free of charge, said Mr. Nehoda
to The Day. Why are we so generous? Because we are poor.






