Belarus invites CIS countries to join EAEU satellite constellation project

Chairman of the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus Vladimir Gusakov put forward the proposal as he met with Director General of the Russian state space industry corporation Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin on 21 January, BelTA reports

.

Vladimir Gusakov said that the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus in association with Roscosmos and Kazakhstan is drafting an interstate program on setting up an integrated EAEU system. The program provides for setting up a joint satellite constellation and a common space database and for making new satellites together. Getting CIS member states, which stay outside the Eurasian Economic Union, involved in the project looks promising. For instance, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan show strong interest, Vladimir Gusakov said.

In his opinion, a common system for the remote sensing of Earth will give an opportunity to keep competition high on the world market of space data and technologies for applying space data. «I think we will be able to discuss the matter with more people tomorrow,» the official said.

The first session of the Interstate Council for Outer Space of the Commonwealth of Independent States will take place at premises of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus on 22-23 January. The council has been established in order to coordinate efforts aimed at implementing the CIS agreement on joint work in studying and using outer space for peaceful purposes. The agreement was signed in Astana, Kazakhstan on 2 November 2018. Delegations from CIS member states, top space industry officials from Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Armenia, representatives of the CIS Executive Committee and the Eurasian Economic Commission will take part in the event.