International Cooperation in the Final Frontier

Israel officially entered the space age in 1988 when the Ofek satellite was put into orbit by the Shavit launcher. Israel's essential achievement in sending the satellite into space was the development of an extremely inexpensive launch capability estimated at a cost of less than one million dollars - one tenth of any comparable launcher elsewhere in the world. Two more Ofek satellites have since been launched, using technology which is being shared with other space agencies through Israel's international cooperation program.

"By having the ability to put its own satellites into space," says Aby Har-Even, director-general of the Israel Space Agency, "Israel is a member of one of the world's most exclusive clubs - the eight nations that have their own locally developed launchers."

Moreover, being a member of this exclusive club means much more than mere prestige, as Prof. Giora Shaviv, director of the Asher Space Research Center at the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa explains. "Space technology for telecommunications already has major commercial signficance," he observes. "But in the 21st century it will become big business and Israel will be well placed to take a lucrative slice of the market."

The country's space program began in the early 1960s with university-based research. The National Committee for Space Research was established in 1963 by the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities. In 1983 the Israel Space Agency (ISA) was set up as the country set its sights on developing the industrial and scientific infrastructure required for full-fledged membership in the international space community. Since then, the ISA has coordinated the nation's space program.

The proliferation of Israeli-authored scientific research papers and the increasing presence of Israeli space scientists at international conferences testifies to the scope and depth of space-related knowledge that is concentrated in Israel. "By making use of Israel's technological advantages in selected niches, notably small satellites and remote sensing," explains Har-Even, "we can achieve optimal results."

Accomplishments by Israeli space researchers include a micro-satellite, developed at the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology. Utilizing the most advanced space technologies, TechSAT weighs just 50 kilograms, has a power consumption of less than 17 watts and cost only $3.5 million to develop. The ISA also funds TAUVEX, the Tel Aviv University Ultra-Violet Explorer. This cluster of three ultra-violet telescopes is slated for launching in the coming year and will carry instruments from Russia, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. A spin-off of this project is a small telescope with a resolution of 5-6 meters that will be used on the DAVID, a small Israeli-German remote sensing satellite.

In Bar-Ilan University's Microwave Space Remote Sensing Unit a remote sensing satellite has been sent into space within the framework of Ukraine's "Sich" series, which is monitoring the sea surface ecology of the Mediterranean as well as wind field measurements, air-sea interaction and recent oil-spills in the region.

Similarly, Ben Gurion University's Remote Sensing Laboratory is mapping the geology of the Negev and the soil and vegetation characteristics of semi-arid environments through cooperation with NASA.

Since its establishment, ISA has cooperated closely with NASA. A joint satellite tracking station was set up in Bar Giora near Jerusalem as part of a global network studying geodynamic movements. Fruitful joint research includes a life sciences experiment aimed at studying the behavior of hornets under microgravity conditions.

Israel also cooperates closely with the European Space Agency (ESA). In 1996, the Ariane 4 European launcher successfully sent Israel's first geostationary telecommunications satellite into space. Known as the Afro-Mediterranean Orbital System (AMOS), it was built by Israel Aircraft Industries in partnership with Alcatel Espace (France) and Daimler-Benz Aerospace (Germany). In conjunction with the Dutch Space Agency, the phenomenon of "sloshing" in the bigger fuel tanks of satellites is being studied in a unique project called SLOSHAT. The investigation will revolve around a large water tank which will be jerked around by Israeli nitrogen thrusters after it is launched from an ESA Space Shuttle.

Cooperation agreements signed with other countries include those with the French Space Agency (CNES) and the German Space Agency (DARA), and a Memorandum of Understanding with the Russian Space Agency; contacts are underway for cooperation with China, India and the Ukraine.

In the 21st century, Israel expects to continue to cooperate with scientists around the world in the exploration of space, the final frontier.