Public–private partnership: renewing the framework for interaction between actors in space activities

The domain of space activities, historically shaped as an arena of exclusively state-driven political ambitions and scientific or strategic initiatives, is increasingly transforming into a complex institutional regime in which public and private actors interact through modalities extending beyond classical administrative and legal frameworks. The evolution of the modern space economy, particularly as evidenced in economically developed states, demonstrates that innovation-oriented public–private partnerships may become the leading mechanism for generating new technologies, ensuring the resilience of space infrastructure, and shaping long-term national strategies for the exploration and utilisation of outer space. Ukraine is entering a period of profound transformation of its public governance system, including the space sector, driven both by internal regulatory changes and by the necessity to adapt to a new security environment and global trends. This article examines the transformation of legal and institutional mechanisms of public–private partnership in the context of the development of Ukraine’s space sector. It analyses the shift in the legislatively determined logic of public–private partnership and its impact on the state’s ability to form an effective PPP system in the space domain, attract investment, integrate into global space programmes, and maintain a balance between domestic defence imperatives and the civilian development of the space industry. The research establishes that the effectiveness of PPPs in the space sphere is determined, on the one hand, by the emergence of a new interaction model among space actors – resulting from updated legislation – in which regimes governing intellectual property management, access to dual-use technologies, and private investment become critical elements. On the other hand, it depends on the creation of a specialised regulatory framework that ensures an appropriate balance between national security interests, the commercialisation of R&D outcomes, and Ukraine’s international obligations. It is substantiated that the introduction of dedicated institutional mechanisms – particularly the strengthening of the State Space Agency of Ukraine as the coordinating authority for the public dimension of PPP relations, together with a modernised procedural regime – has the potential to enhance Ukraine’s global integration and ensure the sustainable development of the national space sector.