Lukashenko discussed joint projects in the space sector with the head of Roscosmos

President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko held a meeting today with Dmitry Rogozin, Director General of the State Corporation Roscosmos. The parties discussed the implementation of joint projects in the space sector, as reported by a BELTA correspondent.

The Head of State proposed considering various areas of Belarusian-Russian cooperation in the space sector, including in the context of national programs. "You have a huge program, and we are considering participation in it, we do not hide this. Many ideas were conceived, many have been implemented. But we are not taking the first steps in space, but rather possible steps. It is an expensive undertaking, but the development of space is one of our priorities, because it involves high technologies," said Alexander Lukashenko.

He noted that Belarus strives to develop the high-tech sector in all areas, and Russia holds leading positions in the world in many of them. "Focusing on the development of high technologies in Belarus is priority number one, as we are not blessed with natural resources. Belarus has always earned through the brains and hands of its people, their competencies, and qualifications. Space is a litmus test for assessing the capabilities and potential of any state or nation," added the Head of State.

According to Alexander Lukashenko, Belarus and Russia have a good foundation for cooperation in this field. He stated that the Belarusian side is ready to discuss any proposals from Russian partners.

Dmitry Rogozin also believes that cooperation between the countries in the space sector is developing very successfully. "We are closely cooperating with the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus and with enterprises," he said. "From the perspective of developing the space services market, I think Belarusian enterprises have huge potential in cooperation with ours."

During the meeting, the head of Roscosmos presented Alexander Lukashenko with a small souvenir – a glove from a cosmonaut who recently visited space. "Then, I'll tell you in secret which cosmonaut, so that others don't get jealous," added Dmitry Rogozin.

"This is my first such legendary gift," the Head of State thanked him.

The main complex of work in Belarus's space industry is carried out by over 20 scientific and production organisations. In July 2012, a Belarusian satellite was launched into orbit, becoming part of the Belarusian Space System for Earth Remote Sensing.

The Belarusian spacecraft and the similar Russian satellite "Kanopus-V" No. 1 form a joint orbital group. The National Academy of Sciences of Belarus and Roscosmos have agreed to expand its capabilities by utilising the resources of other Russian satellites from the "Kanopus-V" and "Kanopus-V-IK" series.

In 2018, the countries began designing a joint space system, which is intended to include a Russian-Belarusian spacecraft. The National Academy of Sciences of Belarus and Roscosmos became the customers for the project, with the Russian corporation "VNIIEM" as the lead developer. The target equipment is to be developed by the Belarusian enterprise "Peleng" with the participation of "Integral". The characteristics of the Russian-Belarusian spacecraft are comparable to the best global analogues, thus its implementation may achieve high commercial success.

These and other issues will be discussed at the first meeting of the Interstate Council for Space of the CIS member states, which will be held at the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus on January 22-23. Delegations from CIS countries, heads of the space industry of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia, and representatives of the CIS Executive Committee and the Eurasian Economic Commission will participate.

The agenda includes the election of the Chairperson of the Interstate Council for Space and the discussion of promising areas of cooperation in space activities.

The Council was established to coordinate actions for the implementation of the Agreement on Joint Activities of the Commonwealth of Independent States Member States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space for Peaceful Purposes, signed on November 2, 2018, in Kazakhstan.