The Israel Space Agency (ISA; , Sokhnut heKhalal haYisraelit) is a governmental body, a part of Israel's Ministry of Science and Technology, that coordinates all Israeli space research programs with scientific and commercial goals.
The agency was founded by theoretical physicist Yuval Ne'eman in 1983 to replace the National Committee for Space Research, which had established in 1960 to set up the initial infrastructure required for space missions. The agency is currently headed by Chairperson and Director General . Today, Israel is the smallest country with indigenous launch capabilities, as well as the smallest to have a space agency. Israel was the 8th country to launch a satellite into space.
History Space research in Israel has history dating to the late 1950s.
NCSR and foreign reliance
The Israeli Space Agency originated as a university-based research project from Tel Aviv University in the early 1960s. In 1960, the National Committee for Space Research (NCSR) was formed by the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities. The committee was formed to increase research activities across the academic communities in Israel. While at the time establishing a space program was not particularly one of its goals, during the 1960s through the late 1970s, the committee developed the infrastructure needed for research and development in space exploration and sciences. One of the NCSR's earliest achievements took place in 1961 with the launch of its first two-stage rocket.
Following political tension with Egypt and Syria, reconnaissance flights became evermore difficult. In 1979, a satellite program was proposed followed by a year of feasibility study. The study was completed by late 1980. Director of Military Intelligence Yehoshua Saguy requested from prime minister Menachem Begin that the project proceed to its next phase. In 1982, a new recommendation called "Ofeq Program" was submitted for developing an observation satellite. The program included timelines, planning for a ground station, budget estimates, and personnel requirements. The primary goal was to develop a satellite program without relying on any foreign know-how, to allow flexibility and creativity. The launcher would be developed by Malam, two engines by Israel Military Industries (IMI), and the third by Rafael.
Establishment of a space agency At the end of 1982, during a closed-door meeting, the decision was made to establish an Israeli space agency. The decision was made by PM Menachem Begin, Defence Minister Ariel Sharon, and former director-general of the Defense Ministry, Aharon Beit Halahmi. The initial goal was to pursue the program to develop the Ofeq and the Shavit launchers. In January 1983, the Israeli government authorized the Minister of Science and Technology Yuval Ne'eman to establish an Israeli Space Agency with the goal of advancing Israel's space program, unlike the NCSR, which was primarily used for feasibility and infrastructure studies. In July 1983, the ISA was officially founded in Tel Aviv to coordinate the nation's space program in affiliation with the Ministry of Science, Culture & Sport, and Dror Sadeh was nominated to be its Director-General.
In 1982, the Israel Space Agency was created, which is responsible for coordinating the space program of Israel. The following year, the new head of military intelligence, Ehud Barak, suspended all work, and advocated the winding down of all projects, and planned to transfer the released financial resources to fulfil more priority tasks, he said. However, he did not win his argument in the defense department. In 1984, Defense Minister Moshe Arens insisted on resuming the program.
In 1984, the National Space Knowledge Centre was established in cooperation with Israel Aircraft Industries; a contract was signed between IAI and the Ministry of Defence for the development of the needed infrastructure to successfully launch Israel's first observation satellite. This came to fruition in 1988 when Israel launched the first in a series of Ofeq satellites and thus became one of only a few nations in the world possessing an indigenous space launching capability (see timeline of first orbital launches by country). The project management at Israel Aircraft Industries was headed for many years by Moshe Bar-Lev.
Vision The agency vision as defined by the guiding committee on July 27, 2005, states:
"Space research and exploration is an essential instrument for the defense of life on Earth; the lever for technological progress; the key to existing in a modern society; essential for developing an economy based on knowledge; and the central attraction for scientific and qualified human resources."
The vision is "to preserve and broaden the comparative advantage of Israel and to place it among the group of leading countries in the space research and exploration area."
The main goals for vision realization are: To build and to support satellite systems for space research and for Earth research from space. To develop technologies, knowledge and scientific infrastructure (including laboratories and human resources) required for space research. To promote international cooperation in space research and exploration, and for strengthening the national interests of Israel. To promote ties between Israeli society, space research, and exploration.
ISA has signed cooperation agreements with the space agencies of: United States (NASA), France (CNES), Canada (CSA), India (ISRO), Italy (ASI), Germany (DLR), Ukraine (NSAU), Russia (RKA), Netherlands (NIVR) and Brazil (AEB).
Budget In 2010, the budget of the Israel Space Agency was increased to US $80 million to boost the agency's space activities in research and development. The budget does not include launch vehicle development and most satellite programs. Typically such programs get funded on a project-by-project basis. For example, Project Venus, a cooperative program by Israel (ISA) and France (CNES) launched in 2017 with a $50 million budget.The Spaceborne Hyperspectral Applicative Land and Ocean Mission (SHALOM), a joint mission by Israel (ISA) and the Italy Space Agency (ASI) has a budget of $116 million.
The budget allocated annually for the Israeli military program as well as commercial programs are managed on different budgets.
Satellite programs
The Israel Space Agency has had a long history of satellite programs both for reconnaissance and commercial purposes. Its first satellite, the Ofeq-1 was launched on September 19, 1988, from Palmachim Airbase in Israel. Since the launching of that first satellite, Israel has developed into a significant player in the commercial space arena. Today, the ISA satellite launches include: Ofeq – Series of reconnaissance satellites. The first of these was launched from the Palmachim site on September 19, 1988. AMOS – Series of communications satellites Eros – Series of observation satellites Techsat – Researching satellite launched by the Technion TechSAR – a SAR-based observation satellite.
Ofeq satellite series
After the successful launch of the Ofeq-1 in 1988, additional satellites were developed. In 1989, the ISA launched the Ofeq-2; in April 1995, it took a leap forward with the launch of Ofeq-3, which carried an advanced electro-optical payload built by Israeli industry for local purposes. Ofeq-3 has been functioning without a hitch. Following a setback with Ofeq-4, Ofeq-5 was successfully launched in May 2002.
To date, twelve such satellites in the Ofeq reconnaissance satellites series were developed and launched to Low Earth Orbit. The most recent, Ofek 16, was launched July 6, 2020.
AMOS satellite series
The AMOS is a series of communications satellites. The AMOS satellites are launched by the Israel Aerospace Industries and are operated by Spacecom once in orbit. The AMOS-1, the first satellite in the series, was launched on May 16, 1996, using a French-built vehicle. Since then, 4 more satellites were launched. The most recent AMOS satellite is the AMOS-5 which was launched on December 11, 2011.
The AMOS is distinguished for its light weight and sophisticated technology. The AMOS-6 was due to be launched in 2016 in order to replace the AMOS-2 which was then ceasing operation, but it was destroyed in a launchpad explosion.
EROS satellite series
The Earth Resources Observation Satellite (EROS) is a series of commercial observation satellites. The first satellite, the EROS A, was launched on December 5, 2000, from Svobodny Launch Complex using a Russian Start-1. A second satellite, the EROS B, was launched on April 25, 2006.
The EROS series were set to be launched once every 6 to 8 years, before the EROS B constellation was reduced from 4 satellites to 1 and EROS C was scrapped in favor of EROS NG. Four of six EROS NG satellites are now in orbit, with the most recent launches (EROS C3 and EROSAR 1) taking place in 2022 and the next scheduled for 2026.
TechSAR Satellite
The TechSAR satellite is a reconnaissance satellite equipped with a synthetic aperture radar. The satellite is designed penetrate thick clouds by being fitted with a large dish-like antenna to transmit and receive radar signals. The satellite was successfully launched on January 21, 2008.
Launch capabilities
The Israel Space Agency in 2025 is one of only a few countries (plus a consortium of European nations) that both build their own satellites and launch their own launchers.The Shavit is a space launch vehicle capable of sending payload into low Earth orbit. The Shavit launcher has been used to send every Ofeq satellite to date.
The development of the Shavit began in 1983 and its operational capabilities were proven on three successful launches of the Ofek satellites on September 19, 1988; April 3, 1990; and April 5, 1995. The Shavit launchers allows low-cost and high-reliability launch of micro/mini satellites to a low Earth orbit. The Shavit launcher is developed by Malam factory, one of four factories in the IAI Electronics Group. The factory is very experienced in development, assembling, testing and operating system for use in space.
The Shavit is a three stage launcher with solid propellant booster based on the 2-stage Jericho-II ballistic missile. The first and second stage engines are manufactured by Ta'as, and use solid fuel. The third stage engines are manufactured by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. The next generation Shavit rockets, now called the Shavit-2 are being developed. The Shavit-2 is said to be made available for commercial launches in the near future.
Palmachim Spaceport The Israel Space Agency and the Israeli Air Force (IAF) jointly operate the spaceport located south of Palmachim Airbase. The IAF and its 151 missile test unit uses it to test its Jericho and Arrow missiles.
Due to Israel's geographic location and hostile relations with surrounding countries, launches take off due west, over the Mediterranean Sea. This is done in order to avoid flying over hostile territories. This is also to prevent possible debris from falling above populated areas. This limitation imposes a penalty of roughly 30% on its lifting capabilities.
Some of the recent ISA launches include: June 11, 2007 – Ofeq 7 satelliteIsrael Launches New Spy Satellite, SpaceWar, accessed 12 June 2007 June 22, 2010 – Ofeq 9 satellite April 10, 2014 – Ofeq 10 satellite September 13, 2016 – Ofeq 11 satellite July 6, 2020 – Ofeq 16 satellite
Space research The ISA is responsible for funding a large set of university research projects and governmental projects. The goal is to boost space related research and development in the academic arena. The Israel Space Agency strives to promote space research and space technology development as a part of the effort to promote the Israeli scientific research.
National Knowledge Center on NEOs