JRL NEWSWATCH: “Lost partnerships destroying Ukraine’s space sector faster than Russian missiles, former space chief says” – Space.com
“… The end of the Antares project is just one of the many blows Ukraine’s mighty space industry has sustained since Russian tanks first rolled into Ukraine …. The enormous Yuzhnoye State Design Office and Yuzhmash Machine Building rocket factory in Dnipro, where the Antares first stages were assembled, have been repeatedly targeted by Russian missiles. …[E]xact … damage … is not known, but Usov said the plants, giant state-run establishments from … [Soviet] time[s] … have now mostly switched to building military technology. … [D]espite Ukraine’s proven track record in space technology development …. [u]nlike … neighbors Hungary, Slovakia and Poland … Ukraine is nowhere near joining either the [EU] or … European Space Agency (ESA). … To keep Ukraine’s door to the West … ajar, Usov and many other space entrepreneurs have set up Europe-based offices for their companies, through which they can reach ESA’s funding and support and continue building … international relationships. …”