Expert: Belarus is developing as space power

Belarus is successfully launching its satellites into low-Earth orbit, developing the space industry, strengthening its scientific and technical potential, and exploring outer space together with Russia, thus, it has become a space power – as noted by Aleksei Avdonin, an analyst at the Belarusian Institute of Strategic Research (BISR)

“Space is not just a bright idea, not only a certain ideology, but, first of all, a huge new sector for the economic development of Belarus. What does this mean? All major Western corporations, which are looking for some points to apply their capital, unequivocally state that space will become the driver of economic growth in the coming decades. As mechanical engineering, shipbuilding, and aviation used to be earlier, but now it is the space sector that is gaining momentum, attracting more and more financial resources. Belarus is also moving in this direction. More than 20 scientific and industrial organisations and about 4,000 people are involved in the space industry of our country. Belarusian satellites are operating in the star orbit. On March 23rd, we launched the first Belarusian female cosmonaut into low-Earth orbit, and this is extremely symbolic: it is impossible to ensure entry into the family of space powers without a good economy and the high scientific and technological potential of the state and society. We are going into space together with Russia, being in the space trend, developing a new economic sector, and increasingly receiving dividends from this direction,” Aleksei Avdonin noted.

“For Belarus, space is, first of all, a huge experience in how to prepare our cosmonauts for the implementation of subsequent scientific projects in the star orbit. Scientific research is already being actively conducted there in the field of medicine and genetics, materials with superconductivity, agriculture, and growing various crops in space. All this will not only have an important applied nature in the future, but will also increase the efficiency of the national economy,” Mr. Avdonin added.  

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The Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft, comprising representatives of three countries: the commander of the spacecraft, Hero of Russia, the native of Belarus Oleg Novitsky, Belarusian Marina Vasilevskaya, and NASA astronaut US citizen Tracy Dyson, successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS). Marina Vasilevskaya became the representative of the 22nd state whose citizens visited the ISS. Due to the postponement of the launch to March 23rd and the change in the docking scheme, her flight will now last a total of 14 days instead of 12. This made it possible to fully preserve the planned research part of the flight of the first cosmonaut of Belarus.

The National Academy of Sciences of Belarus together with Roscosmos and the Russian Academy of Sciences developed the scientific programme of the first Belarusian female cosmonaut, including seven experiments, of which five are research and two are educational. Scientific research will be carried out in the fields of biology, physiology, autonomous operation of space stations, and remote sensing of the Earth using Belarusian-made photo and video spectral equipment located on the ISS. Lactoferrin (LTF protein) and probiotics produced by scientific organisations of the National Academy of Sciences will also be studied for their subsequent possible use in the creation of food for cosmonauts.