The first session of National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and Yuzhnoye SDO Coordination Council took place at Yuzhnoye SDO on 17-18 June. Its purpose  – implementation of General Agreement on Scientific and Technological Cooperation in Space Field made by National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Ukrainian Academy of Sciences and Yuzhnoye SDO.

Petr Vitiaz’, Chief of Belarusian National Academy staff, Deputy Director of Space Research Agency at the Academy, National Academy member, led a Belarusian delegation.

Leader of Ukrainian Academy of Sciences is Anton Naumovets, First Vice President of Academy of Sciences, the Academy member.

Expert body headed by Alexander Degtiar’ov, General Director of Yuzhnoye SDO and a member of Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, took part in the session on behalf of Yuzhnoye SDO.

The session participants discussed principles of cooperative works organization, appointed the Coordination Council (30 persons –  10 persons from each part), organized ongoing tripartite working groups on spacecraft generation cooperation, new materials development, information-space technologies, remote sensing, Earth climate and ecology research.

The following upcoming cooperation lines were indicated:

• joint participation in international Moon exploration;

• development of geospatial and remote sensing data exchange processes;

• generation of joint Ukrainian-Belarusian research satellite based on YuzhSat platform;

• investigation of earth atmosphere aerosols in order to determine their impact on climate and ecology change;

• generation of new alloys (with required qualities) made of powered materials using additive technologies;

• generation of spacecraft thermal control systems based on heat pipes, heat and cold storage units, sorption heat converters;

• development of new anticorrosive magnetically soft and high-impact polymeric materials.

“We are proud of Yuzhnoye SDO being the place, where respectable organization representatives and scientists have come to discuss the current issues. It’s a big honor to be a part of such Agreement between two Academies and Yuzhnoye SDO,” commented the event Alexander Degtiar’ov, Yuzhnoye SDO General Director, “16 thousand people work in Belarusian Academy, and today we added this huge intellect to our cooperation”.

Petr Vitiaz’, Chief of Belarusian National Academy staff, said, “National Academy of Sciences of Belarus is subordinated to President and government, who imposed on us a task not only to develop fundamental science, but to apply scientific knowledge in all areas. Space Research Agency has been established at our Academy, therefore we are working in space area. Three Belarusian astronauts went in to space, and we are trying to work towards this area. It is my first visit to Dnepr , I saw recognition board in the hall – a lot of heroes of labor and academicians have been grown up at your enterprise, which is deeply rooted. Thank you for keeping and developing space technologies and techniques. It is very important for us, as we are in progress, have communication and  remote sensing satellites, so need to develop space technologies and coordinate joint efforts.”

“Though Belarus is a small country, it has high scientific/industrial potential and intellectual property,” Anton Naumovets, Ukrainian Academy Leader, said, “visiting international conferences we realized that a lot of Belarusian developments are of interest for Yuzhnoye SDO. As a result the joint agreement has been signed. It forecasts line of research: earth surface condition, Belorussia and Ukraine ecology, modern space communication technologies. Yuzhnoye SDO has a global experience, a cornerstone of space and defense fields, which can be shared. We have signed the agreements, but it needs to turn them into reality; Yuzhnoye SDO leads the way of vigorous and quick implementation of new developments for the benefit of mankind.”