Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, Production Association Yuzhny Machine-Building Plant named after A. Makarova and the Italian company AVIO SpA have reached an agreement on additional supplies of 10 Ukrainian-made engines for the Vega launch vehicle for a total amount of almost 6 million euros.
The Italian side confirmed its readiness to expand cooperation on April 28 this year. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba welcomed this agreement reached by joint efforts of representatives of the Ukrainian rocket and space industry and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“Expansion of participation in the European Vega program testifies to the reliability and competitiveness of engineering developments in the Ukrainian rocket and space industry. High-quality high-tech export develops the Ukrainian economy, provides orders for enterprises, jobs for Ukrainian specialists. The support of such contracts is one of the top priorities of the Foreign Ministry, and the efforts of Ukrainian diplomats in Italy played an important role in reaching this agreement, "he said.
The current contract for the supply of 11 main engine blocks (BMD) is calculated until 2023. Seven units have already been delivered, one more will be shipped to the customer in the near future, three engines are in the production process.
Dmitry Nikon, Chief Economist of SE PA Yuzhny Machine-Building Plant, explained: “The current contract contains an option that provides for the manufacture of additional 10 units. Thanks to the Ukrainian diplomats who kept the deal under control, repeatedly contacted both the company's management and representatives of the Italian Space Agency, which led to a positive result. ”
“Cooperation with AVIO SpA is a clear example of the integration of the Ukrainian rocket and space industry into European space programs. For our part, we are doing everything possible to develop and expand Ukrainian-Italian cooperation in the field of space technologies, and we will be grateful to our diplomats for further support, "said Oleksandr Prokopchuk, Chief Designer of the Liquid Propellant Rocket Engine Design Bureau at Yuzhnoye Design Bureau. p>
Help:
The Vega light launch vehicle is a joint project of the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. SE "KB" Yuzhnoye "and SE" PO "Yuzhny Mashinostroitelny Zavod" have been cooperating with the Italian company AVIO SpA under the Vega program since 2004. In total, over the years of cooperation, more than 20 main engine blocks have been manufactured and already delivered to AVIO SpA, the last of which - at the beginning of 2021.
A feature of the BMD is the ability to launch multiple times during flight (up to 5 starts), which ensures the deployment of satellites in different orbits.
The Ukrainian Embassy in Italy is making priority efforts to ensure and encourage cooperation between Ukraine and Italy in the space industry. Italy is one of the founding countries of the European Space Agency and is among the top three contributors along with Germany and France.
