Ukraine moves toward creating military space force as parliament backs bill
Ukraine's parliament has approved the first reading of legislation that would establish a dedicated space force within the country's armed forces, as Kyiv seeks to strengthen its defenses against Russian missile attacks and develop its own military satellite capabilities.
The bill, No. 13255, received support from 252 lawmakers on November 9, according to the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament.
The legislation has not yet become law. It must undergo further parliamentary consideration before the proposed force can be formally established.
The initiative would expand Ukraine's use of space technologies for national defense, including the development of an independent early-warning system capable of detecting enemy missile launches.
It also envisages developing systems to counter such attacks and establishing a national secure satellite communications network for Ukraine's military and security agencies.
The bill's authors cited Russia's use of its Oreshnik ballistic missile against Ukraine as one reason for creating a dedicated military space capability. The explanatory note refers to the missile's flight through outer space, highlighting the need to detect and respond to threats that travel beyond the atmosphere.
The authors also argued that Ukraine already possesses the scientific, engineering and industrial expertise needed to develop domestic satellites and the systems required to operate them.
The proposed space force would mark a further step toward reducing Ukraine's dependence on external space-based capabilities for military communications and missile warning.
The vote follows a Guardian report that Ukraine had conducted at least three tests of domestically developed systems intended to intercept targets in near-Earth space as part of efforts to counter Russia's Oreshnik missiles.
The reported tests have not been independently verified in the information provided.
The bill does not establish a timetable for the creation of the new force or specify when the proposed satellite and missile-warning systems could become operational.
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