KIEV, April 12 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko Friday stressed the revival of the rocket-and-space industry is currently a priority for Kiev, according to the presidential press service.
"Restoring capabilities of the rocket-and-space complex is one of our main priorities," Poroshenko said in a congratulatory message dedicated to the International Day of Human Space Flight.
Poroshenko said that effective cooperation with foreign partners in the implementation of space projects would help Ukraine to reclaim its image of the "modern rocket state."
According to Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, the East European country currently cooperates with 30 foreign states in the space sector.
Preliminary data of the State Space Agency of Ukraine showed that Ukrainian space industry enterprises have earned a total of 182.6 million U.S. dollars from selling goods on domestic and international markets in last year.
According to the data, its space industry exports rose by about 25 percent to 112 million dollars in the year of 2018.
The International Day of Human Space Flight is observed on April 12, marking the launch of the first manned space flight by Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin in 1961.
