National government agency that implements Ukraine’s policy in the peaceful use of outer space. The State Space Agency develops the nation’s space activities and produces launch vehicles, space vehicles, engines, control systems, and other spacecraft-related components. SSAU is one of five world leaders that provides launch services; in the past 25 years, the agency has launched more than 125 rockets (including the Ukranian Cyclone), which have carried over 230 satellites into Earth orbit for the benefit of 20 countries worldwide. The Agency’s first satellite (Sich-1) was launched successfully on 31 August 1995. Two years later it also placed its first cosmonaut, Leonid Kadenyuk, into space.