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A Ukrainian space tech start-up postponed its dream of going to the moon to volunteer their technology to fight against Russia in the ongoing war. But they still believe they will get there one day.
Only three years old, the Kyiv-based start-up Lunar Research Service has tried its hands at a variety of space projects. The company has flown space gear on stratospheric balloons to test its performance in near space, built educational nanosatellites and designed technologies that would help rovers on the moon to survive the cold lunar night. But, on February 24, Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine, invading and igniting a war.
The start-up was just about to ship its first batch of nanosatellites to their Kickstarter backers, but priorities changed within days, the company's chief technology officer Dmytro Khmara told Space.com in an email. Instead of going to the customers, the nanosatellites were taken apart and the components handed over to the military.
"The first days of the war were mostly a shock," Khmara said. "We quickly realized that it was not possible to continue business as usual. We suspended manufacturing and put all the efforts into supporting our army's needs."
www.space.com
Only three years old, the Kyiv-based start-up Lunar Research Service has tried its hands at a variety of space projects. The company has flown space gear on stratospheric balloons to test its performance in near space, built educational nanosatellites and designed technologies that would help rovers on the moon to survive the cold lunar night. But, on February 24, Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine, invading and igniting a war.
The start-up was just about to ship its first batch of nanosatellites to their Kickstarter backers, but priorities changed within days, the company's chief technology officer Dmytro Khmara told Space.com in an email. Instead of going to the customers, the nanosatellites were taken apart and the components handed over to the military.
"The first days of the war were mostly a shock," Khmara said. "We quickly realized that it was not possible to continue business as usual. We suspended manufacturing and put all the efforts into supporting our army's needs."
Ukrainian moon start-up volunteers tech for military use
The company's 3D printers now churn out gun components.
