Ukraine's space industry output up 47 pct in H1

Ukraine's space industry output rose by 47 percent in the first half of 2016 compared with the same period a year ago, the State Space Agency of Ukraine (SSAU) said Thursday.

The progress was achieved mainly due to the entering of Ukrainian space industry goods to the new markets, the agency said in a statement.

"The SSAU is actively seeking new projects for Ukrainian enterprises. In the first half of the year, our export volumes have increased by more than half and now almost 60 percent of Ukraine's space industry products are exported abroad," the statement said.

According to it, from January through June of 2016, Ukrainian space industry enterprises have earned about 54.4 million U.S. dollars in sales revenues.

Last year, Ukraine's space industry production rose by 1.8 percent to about 116 million dollars worth of goods.

The Ukrainian space sector, which incorporates 26 state-run and private enterprises, was severely hit by the ongoing crisis in the country.

In 2014, the industry lost about 80 percent of its revenues as Kiev halted space cooperation with Russia -- the largest export destination for Ukraine's space products. Endit