Recently I saw this headline in the BBC news:

"Missile strike on Ukraine space plant in Dnipro kills three"

Hmm, I thought, sounds interesting, but I wouldn't have thought it was quite their thing.

So I had a search around... and my word how wrong I was!! I'd completely failed to take into account the Soviet space program... and what had happened to it, when Ukraine became independent in 1991.

State Space Agency of Ukraine

Here are a few excerpts from their website: https://www.nkau.gov.ua/en/

History

"According to the Decree of the President of Ukraine Leonid Kravchuk as of February 29, 1992 the National Space Agency of Ukraine (NSAU) has been established.
The issues discussed within the first months of the independence of Ukraine included finding the ways to preserve and develop rocket and space complex in Ukraine, create its own management structure over the enterprises, review their specialization and establish effective cooperation ties. The special issue was focused on elaboration of the national space policy. In order to solve these issues the NSAU was established with the status of a central executive body."


Enterprises and organizations of Space Industry of Ukraine

https://www.nkau.gov.ua/en/enterprises


Launch vehicles

https://www.nkau.gov.ua/en/space-complexes/launch-vehicles


Spacecraft

https://www.nkau.gov.ua/en/space-complexes/spacecraft


Launch statistics

https://www.nkau.gov.ua/en/launches-of-ukrainian-lvs



And, of course, the Artemis program.

https://stem.nasa.gov/artemis/

"The Artemis program is a manned space mission led by NASA to return man to the Moon, designed to create a permanent lunar settlement and use it as a basis for development of Mars. Mission participants are 12 countries, including Ukraine, which became the ninth signatory of the Accords."

SSAU Head took part in a multilateral meeting within the framework of the Artemis program (Oct 2021)

https://www.nkau.gov.ua/en/news/main-topics/1858-ssau-head-took-part-in-a-multil...


And this man has flown on the Shuttle!

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonid_Kadeniuk

It will, of course, be a while before they can get going again..............

Hope they watch out for skimmers!!