Humanitarian Initiative to Support Ukraine Launched by Space Industry
Leaders of the space community have established the Space Industry for Ukraine (SIFU), a humanitarian initiative to support Ukraine designed to fund and execute efforts that provide immediate humanitarian aid to the people of Ukraine. The initiative will be run by a steering committee, which includes HawkEye 360, National Security Space Association (NSSA), ABL Space Systems, ARKA, BlackSky, Capella Space, ICEYE, Insight Partners, Leidos, LeoLabs, Maxar, Raytheon Intelligence & Space, Rebellion Defense, Relativity Space, Riverside Research, Rocket Lab, Velos and Viasat. The steering committee will fundraise, select and monitor the execution of critical humanitarian projects throughout Ukraine and its neighboring countries. Additional participating donor companies include The Aerospace Corporation, Cognitive Space and Shield Capital.
"With SIFU, we intend to go beyond the bounds of traditional strategic support and provide humanitarian aid geared directly towards alleviating suffering and restoring the human dignity of those impacted by the events in Ukraine."
Steve Jacques, Executive Director of the National Security Space Association.
"While space-based companies are playing a vital role through collecting and analyzing data of a defense and intelligence nature, we believe there is additional humanitarian value that our space community can provide in supporting the people and government of Ukraine," said HawkEye 360 CEO John Serafini. "After visiting the Poland-Ukraine border last month to assess the crisis situation and identify ways our community can help, I am eager to work in close collaboration with our space industry peers and NGO partners to help deliver critical aid for the people of Ukraine."
"The national security space community is uniquely positioned to address the horrific atrocities playing out in Ukraine over the past several weeks," said Steve Jacques, Executive Director of the National Security Space Association. "With SIFU, we intend to go beyond the bounds of traditional strategic support and provide humanitarian aid geared directly towards alleviating suffering and restoring the human dignity of those impacted by the events in Ukraine. NSSA is proud to partner with John Serafini and this outstanding collection of companies as we spearhead this important initiative."
Through the generous contributions of its members, the SIFU has fundraised to date nearly $1 million. In coordination with the international NGO community and with representatives of the Polish and Ukrainian governments, high-value projects have been structured to be undertaken on short notice to create immediate and material value for the Ukrainian cause. The initial projects include:
Acquisition, shipment, and delivery of medical supplies and food supplies to support populations throughout Ukraine and Poland.
Communication hardware and operating costs to enable NGOs operating in the region to maximize communication.
Construction and operation of mobile medical facilities for treating refugees throughout the region.
Supporting evacuation efforts of Ukrainian refugees.
All of the initiative's humanitarian projects will be managed by global NGOs, with SIFU involvement focused on partner acquisition, project selection, capital distribution and the evaluation of project effectiveness. SIFU is not intended to be a long-term initiative. Rather, the intention is for the humanitarian initiative to support Ukraine to create an immediate impact over three months to support Ukraine's most pressing needs.
(Source: Space Industry for Ukraine {SIFU} news release)