MINSK, 9 April (BelTA) – One can say with confidence today that a space industry has indeed been established in Belarus, BelTA learned from Chairman of the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus Vladimir Gusakov on 9 April.
In his words, the Belarusian space industry comprises over 20 scientific and manufacturing organizations and employs about 4,000 qualified specialists. A major strategic space research system has been established. Vladimir Gusakov stressed that Belarusian scientists and manufacturers have been taking an active part in the creation of new materials, optics, electronics, and information technologies for space applications since the times of the Soviet Union. The National Academy of Sciences of Belarus has created a space research agency. The agency operates successfully and has put together a strong team of specialists.
The official said that Russia is Belarus' main partner in space industry cooperation. He mentioned the high level of Belarusian-Russian cooperation in the area of research and peaceful uses of outer space. A Belarusian-Russian intergovernmental agreement on researching and peaceful uses of outer space was signed in 2011 to lay down the legal foundation for such cooperation. Results of many years of fruitful joint work of Belarusian and Russian scientists and specialists to create and operate space equipment and implement space R&D programs of the Union State of Belarus and Russia are highly appreciated. Steady Belarusian-Russian cooperation links have been established in space-related R&D and manufacturing over the period of many years, the official noted.
Vladimir Gusakov also said that the successful implementation of five Union State programs in space industry had become the technological foundation of the Belarusian space system for the remote sensing of Earth.
