The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine supported in the first reading draft law No. 13255, which is to create the Space Forces of Ukraine as part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. On November 9, 252 people's deputies voted for the corresponding decision, the parliament's press service reports.

The drafting of the bill was influenced in particular by the Russian strike on Ukraine with the Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile, according to the explanatory note to the bill.

What tasks the Space Forces could perform

What tasks the Space Forces can perform

Among the arguments in favor of creating a new branch of the Armed Forces, the authors cite Ukraine's scientific, engineering and production potential, which allows it to develop its own space technologies, as well as the availability of ground infrastructure for controlling spacecraft.

The Space Forces of Ukraine could:

create their own early warning system for enemy missile strikes;

develop means of practical counteraction to missile and space strikes;

form a national system of secure satellite communications for the security and defense sector;

build up intelligence capabilities through the creation of its own group of reconnaissance satellites.

Ukraine cooperates in the space sector with Luxembourg, Poland, the Czech Republic and Sweden, and also participates in the international Artemis program led by NASA.

At the same time, the text of the bill primarily concerns changes to the structure of the Armed Forces. It does not determine the size of the Space Forces, the procedure for their formation, or specific timelines for launching satellite systems.

The creation and functioning of a new branch of the Armed Forces will require additional state budget expenditures. This was specifically noted during the budgetary expertise of the bill.

Currently, the document has passed its first reading. For final adoption, it must pass a second reading and be supported by parliament as a whole.

The Ministry of Defense's roadmap in space until 2035

Ministry of Defense's space roadmap until 2035

In April 2025, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine created a space policy directorate.

The directorate was presented by then Deputy Minister of Defense Kateryna Chernohorenko during the Space For Ukraine forum. The event became a kind of statement by the state about the start of the development of this industry and a call to Defense Tech manufacturers to take on new developments.

At that time, 2025 was set aside for an audit of the state of infrastructure, development of documents, training of specialists and the launch of pilot projects.

Already by 2030, the Ministry of Defense planned to have national satellites for defense purposes, as well as a new system for air raid alerts and control of outer space.

By 2035 — to form an integral space segment of defense, participate in global projects and ensure the sustainable development of the space industry in Ukraine.

As of April 2025, Ukraine has only one satellite of its own, as noted by the Ministry of Defense, while russia already had approximately 200 of them.

Already in October 2026, the Ukrainian company HIMERA and the Danish company GomSpace launched OBRIA NANO — a test satellite of the future Ukrainian communications network. The satellite was launched as part of the SpaceX Transporter-18 mission — this is a rideshare program, where the cost of launching 1 kg of payload is about $6,000 – $7,000.