A $ 292 million loan was issued to the Ukrainian satellite, and now it is unfinished in the Russian Federation. What will happen next

Na stroitel'stvo pervogo ukrainskogo telekommunikatsionnogo sputnika «Lybid'» gosudarstvennyy «Ukrkosmos» poluchil $292 mln kredita ot Kanadskogo eksportnogo agentstva. Pusk dolzhen byl sostoyat'sya s kosmodroma «Baykonur» v 2011 godu, odnako apparat do sikh por nedostroyennyy i seychas nakhoditsya v Krasnoyarske. Vladimir Usov, glava Gosudarstvennogo kosmicheskogo agentstva, v interv'yu izdaniyu EP rasskazal o vozmozhnykh stsenariyakh dlya ukrainskogo sputnika. A takzhe v tselom prokommentiroval sostoyaniye ukrainskoy kosmicheskoy otrasli: «vse nachinayet razvalivat'sya». Predystoriya Kabmin prinyal postanovleniye o sozdanii pervogo ukrainskogo geostatsionarnogo telekommunikatsionnogo sputnika «Lybid'» v 2007 godu. V 2009 gosudarstvennoye predpriyatiye «Ukrkosmos», po zakazu Natsional'nogo Kosmicheskogo Agentstva Ukrainy (NKAU), podpisalo kontrakt s kanadskoy kompaniyey MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (MDA). Po usloviyam soglasheniya, pusk apparata dolzhen byl sostoyat'sya s kosmodroma «Baykonur» v 2011 godu. Finansirovaniye v $292 mln ($254,6 mln smeta + 14,86% nadbavka za riski) vydelilo kanadskoye eksportnoye agentstvo EDC pod garantii ukrainskogo pravitel'stva. Obyazatel'stva po nemu sostavili 3,53% godovykh na protyazhenii 10 let. V 2014 godu sledovateli NABU obnaruzhili, chto znachitel'nuyu chast' etikh sredstv prisvoili chinovniki «Ukrkosmosa». Apparat «Lybid'» s tekh por lezhit na rossiyskom predpriyatii «Informatsionnyye sputnikovyye sistemy» — v Krasnoyarske. V 2019 godu gosudarstvo vyplatilo kreditnyye sredstva Kanadskomu eksportnomu agentstvu. Seychas «Ukrkosmos» vstupayet v prava sobstvennosti sputnikom, odnako dogovor na polucheniye apparata ot rossiyskogo predpriyatiya nedeystvitelen. Tri vozmozhnykh stsenariya Po slovam Vladimira Usova, sushchestvuyet neskol'ko variantov dal'neyshego razvitiya sobytiy. Stsenariy pervyy — dokapitalizatsiya proyekta gosudarstvom. Primernaya summa — $50-60 mln. Den'gi poydut na sozdaniye rakety, testirovaniye sputnika, yego dorabotki i prodleniye garantiynykh srokov. Odnako, etot variant trudnoosushchestvim: sushchestvuyet ryad politicheskikh faktorov, sredi kotorykh — sotrudnichestvo s Rossiyey. «Gosudarstvo mozhet dokapitalizirovat' etu summu, kakim-to obrazom poluchit' ot Rossii sputnik, kakim-to obrazom dostroit' raketu, gde ispol'zovalis' rossiyskiye detali i dvigateli, i zapustit' etoy raketoy nash sputnik s «Baykonura», — otmechayet Usov. Stsenariy vtoroy — dokapitalizatsiya proyekta investorom. Investor dostraivayet apparat i zapuskayet yego na orbitu. Moshchnost' budet raspredelena mezhdu Ukrainoy i investorom. Etot stsenariy vozmozhen, no tol'ko teoreticheski: «Ne skazhu, chto u nas yest' ochered' iz investorov, kotoryye v 2020 godu pridut investirovat' v sputnik s takoy slozhnoy istoriyey i nakhodyashchegosya na territorii RF», — govorit chinovnik. Stsenariy tretiy — prodazha prav na istrebovaniye sputnika tret'yey storone. Zapushchennyy s podkontrol'nogo RF «Baykonura» sputnik svyazi i spetssvyazi, opasno ispol'zovat' s tochki zreniya natsional'noy bezopasnosti. Vyruchennyye sredstva ot prodazhi prav tret'yey storone pozvolyat postroit' novyy ukrainskiy sputnik. Po slovam Usova, eto tri stsenariya — ot naimeneye k naiboleye realistichnomu. Chto dal'she Optimal'nyy srok na vybor stsenariya — 2-3 mesyatsa. Resheniye dolzhny prinyat' na urovne pravitel'stva — budet sobrana rabochaya gruppa, vklyuchaya spetsialistov Gosudarstvennogo kosmicheskogo agentstva, «Ukrkosmosa», Minekonomiki i budushchikh pol'zovateley sistemy sputnikovoy svyazi. V voprose vozvrashcheniya «Lybid'» v Ukrainu — rossiyskaya kompaniya «Informatsionnyye sputnikovyye sistemy» dolzhna provesti konsul'tatsii s kanadskoy kompaniyey MDA. Poslednyaya byla vladel'tsem sputnika do momenta yego vyvoda na orbitu. Yeshche paru detaley ob ukrainskoy kosmicheskoy otrasli Dolgi rastut, otrasl' ne razvivayetsya. S odnoy storony, netu vnutrennego zakaza, s drugoy storony — poskol'ku eto gosudarstvennoye predpriyatiye, ono ne mozhet privlekat' investitsii mezhdunarodnykh partnerov. Odnako o prichinakh nedozrabotka s vneshnikh kontraktov v interv'yu ne govoritsya. «Vse nachinayet razvalivat'sya, protsess razvala prodolzhayetsya uzhe 20 let. Yesli ne reformirovat' etot protsess, to razval zavershitsya krakhom industrii», — govorit glava agentstva. Ofitsial'nyy byudzhet Gosudarstvennogo kosmicheskogo agentstva v 2019 godu sostavil 537 mln ​​grn, odnako real'naya summa — 80-90 mln grn. Po slovam Vladimira Usova, na odin kosmos v god zalozheno vsego neskol'ko millionov dollarov, chto yavlyayetsya mizernoy summoy. Chtoby stimulirovat' ukrainskiy kosmos v agentstve rabotayut nad pyatiletney programmoy s byudzhetom 30 mlrd grn. Sredi osnovnykh proyektov — dostup v kosmos, sozdaniye sputnikovoy gruppirovki, razvitiye kosmicheskoy ekosistemy i chastnogo sektora. Kontseptsiya soglasovyvayetsya v Minekonomiki i Minfine. «Kazhdyy god dolzhen byt' $250 mln, iz kotorykh 50% — investitsii, 50% — byudzhetnoye finansirovaniye. Chtoby na kazhduyu byudzhet

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For the construction of the first Ukrainian telecommunications satellite Lybid, the state-owned Ukrkosmos received a $ 292 million loan from the Canadian Export Agency. The launch was supposed to take place from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in 2011, but the device is still unfinished and is now located in Krasnoyarsk.

Vladimir Usov, the head of the State Space Agency, in an interview with the EP told about possible scenarios for the Ukrainian satellite. He also generally commented on the state of the Ukrainian space industry: "everything is starting to fall apart."
Background

The Cabinet of Ministers adopted a resolution on the creation of the first Ukrainian geostationary telecommunications satellite “Lybid” in 2007.
In 2009, the state-owned enterprise Ukrkosmos, by order of the National Space Agency of Ukraine (NSAU), signed a contract with the Canadian company MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (MDA). Under the terms of the agreement, the launch of the device was supposed to take place from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in 2011.
Financing of $ 292 million ($ 254.6 million estimate + 14.86% risk premium) was allocated by the Canadian export agency EDC under the guarantees of the Ukrainian government. Obligations under it amounted to 3.53% per annum over 10 years.
In 2014, NABU investigators found that Ukrkosmos officials appropriated a significant portion of these funds. Since then, the Lybid apparatus has been located at the Russian company Information Satellite Systems in Krasnoyarsk.
In 2019, the state paid loans to the Canadian Export Agency.
Now Ukrkosmos is taking ownership of the satellite, however, the contract to receive the device from a Russian enterprise is invalid.

Three possible scenarios

According to Vladimir Usov, there are several options for the further development of events.

Scenario one - recapitalization of the project by the state. The approximate amount is $ 50-60 million. The money will go to create a rocket, test a satellite, refine it and extend the warranty period. However, this option is difficult to implement: there are a number of political factors, among which is cooperation with Russia. “The state can capitalize this amount, somehow get a satellite from Russia, somehow complete a rocket where Russian parts and engines were used, and launch our satellite from Baikonur with this rocket,” Usov notes.

The second scenario is the recapitalization of the project by the investor. The investor completes the device and launches it into orbit. Capacity will be distributed between Ukraine and the investor. This scenario is possible, but only theoretically:

“I will not say that we have a line of investors who will come in 2020 to invest in a satellite with such a complex history and located on the territory of the Russian Federation,” the official said.

Scenario three - sale of satellite claim rights to a third party. A communications and special communications satellite launched from Baikonur controlled by the Russian Federation is dangerous to use from the point of view of national security. The proceeds from the sale of rights to a third party will allow the construction of a new Ukrainian satellite.

According to Usov, these are three scenarios - from the least to the most realistic.

What's next

The optimal period for choosing a scenario is 2-3 months. The decision must be made at the government level - a working group will be assembled, including specialists from the State Space Agency, Ukrkosmos, the Ministry of Economy and future users of the satellite communications system.
On the issue of Lybid’s return to Ukraine - Russian
Information Satellite Systems should consult with Canadian MDA. The latter was the owner of the satellite until its launch into orbit.

A couple more details about the Ukrainian space industry

Debts are growing, the industry is not developing. On the one hand, there is no internal order, on the other hand, since it is a state-owned enterprise, it cannot attract investment from international partners. However, the reasons for the understatement of external contracts in an interview does not say.

“Everything begins to fall apart, the process of collapse has been going on for 20 years. If this process is not reformed, then the collapse will end with the collapse of the industry, ”says the head of the agency.

The official budget of the State Space Agency in 2019 amounted to 537 million UAH, but the real amount is 80-90 million UAH. According to Vladimir Usov, only a few million dollars are pledged per cosmos per year, which is a tiny amount.
To stimulate the Ukrainian space, the agency is working on a five-year program with a budget of 30 billion UAH. Among the main projects are access to space, the creation of a satellite constellation, the development of the space ecosystem and the private sector. The concept is approved by the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Finance.

“Each year there should be $ 250 million, of which 50% is investment, 50% is budget financing. To every budget financing. That there should be an investment from international partners for each budget hryvnia, ”the official says.