About the Israeli Space Agency

The Israel Space Agency, which was established by a government decision in 1983, is a state body operating within the Ministry of Science and Technology. The Agency initiates, leads and coordinates civilian space activities in Israel.

The Agency is particularly supportive of scientific research and development with real economic potential, such as the development of unique and innovative technologies. In addition, the Agency operates from the perspective that the pursuit of space contributes to the Israeli economy, positioning its position in the world and the well-being of its residents in terms of agriculture, communications, monitoring of environmental pollution and research.

The objectives of the Israel Space Agency are many and varied, including the expansion of cooperation and interactions with various countries in the field of space, the promotion of infrastructure research in academia and research institutes; Investment in startup companies that develop various components for the space industries in Israel and around the world; Development and construction of satellites for civilian purposes and support the development of innovative and unique space technologies in the space industries; As well as cultivating the reserve of future scientists in the field of space exploration through space education and community projects, and in general expanding Israel's relative advantage in the field and placing it among the world's leading countries in space exploration and exploitation.

Read more about the Israel Space Agency's activities in local research and development and international collaborations.

Another important goal of the space agency, is to strengthen the connection of children and youth to the field of space, so that they can satisfy the great natural curiosity that the field arouses and deepen their knowledge and interest in it. For the general public, the space agency initiates activities and events that allow for experiential experience in the fields of space, and holds activities and observations during the year, national competitions, technological projects in schools, training courses for instructors and more.

Read more about the activities of the Israel Space Agency in promoting educational projects.

The Israeli Space Industry

Israel's civilian space industry has tremendous potential to become a significant growth engine for the entire Israeli economy. There are currently more than sixty space companies operating in Israel, including start-ups, that are engaged in a variety of fields: satellites, ground stations and terminals, materials, propulsion and launch, systems and integration, communications and satellite positioning, data processing and more.

The Israel Space Agency – under the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology – works towards the objective of supporting the civilian space industry and encouraging its growth through projects for the promotion of the research and development of technologies, components, systems and subsystems. All this, while the main emphasis in this support is on leveraging Israel's miniaturization capabilities, its expertise in communications satellites, and other unique ideas that give Israel a relative advantage.

The means of promoting the Israeli space industry range from individual support for companies to broad investment tracks:

The track for investment (in cooperation with the Innovation Authority) in space companies for the support of R&D to find innovative technological solutions and advanced products in the field of space.
The "Earth & Beyond" space incubator (in cooperation with the Israel Innovation Authority) provides access to a wide range of development tools: capital funds, investors, infrastructure, assistance in product development, consultation, exposure to global markets, commercial ties and more.
Against the background of the accelerated growth in the global small satellite market, as well as the great potential in the field for Israeli industry, in the coming years the Israel Space Agency will also establish a research and development center for small satellites.

In addition, the Agency works for international exposure of Israeli space companies and assists them in establishing global business relationships. The agency also works to encourage the establishment of new companies and to bring their products to commercialization, as well as for the reinforcement of the local ecosystem and the creation of relationships and joint ventures between the companies.

Here you can find prominent companies in the Israeli space industry>>

International Cooperations

Israel, despite being a small country, maintains extensive joint ventures with the world’s leading space agencies. These joint ventures have many advantages, including in terms of the reciprocal relations between the local space industry and industries abroad; division of the burden of development costs; the possibility of using advanced systems for research tasks; and the opportunity of being exposed to new research methods and international standards of research and development. At the same time, Israel also strives for joint ventures in order to cultivate its relative advantages in space exploration – especially in the field of miniaturization of satellites.

Alongside all this, promoting international joint ventures creates many business opportunities and improves Israel's foreign relations with countries around the world. For this reason, the space agency initiates events for Israeli and foreign space companies, bringing together investors, foundations, companies, and representatives of governments and agencies.

Israel is open to the exchange of ideas and is interested in cooperation in areas such as the development of space systems and subsystems, ground stations, space exploration and space science. Every year Israel strives to expand and deepen the scope of existing agreements with agencies and states and welcomes any joint venture with countries engaged in space exploration – from the largest space powers to countries taking their first steps in the field – provided that they are dedicated partners for space science, vision, peaceful space exploration and for the benefit of all humanity.

The Israel Space Agency is engaged in cooperation with many space agencies, including:

NASA - The National Aeronautics and Space Administration
ESA - The European Space Agency
DLR- German Space Agency
ASI - The Italian Space Agency
CNES - The French National Center for Space Study
CSA - The Canadian Space Agency
ISRO - The Indian Organization for Space Research
UAESA- The Emirates Space Agency
UKSA - UK Space Agency
ASA- Australian Space Agency
UNOOSA- United Nations Space Office

Academic Research

The Israel Space Agency supports applied research in the fields of space exploration. Every year, the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, at the initiative of the Israel Space Agency, publishes calls for research proposals regarding observations from space towards Earth, observations towards outer space, proposals for the development of equipment suitable for operation in space, and more.

The researchers who win the grants publish the results of their research in academic journals and present their achievements and the results of some of their studies in international workshops and conferences. In areas where the Space Agency sees interest in developing a scientific and technological infrastructure, we also assist in establishing knowledge centers that operate within recognized research institutions, so that they can provide services to additional researchers in the field.

The studies with applied potential that we focus on belong to the following areas:

Observations from space towards Earth.
Development of instrumentation, components, subsystems and assemblies for spacecraft platforms and space-supporting ground segments.
Planetary sciences and observations from space to the depths of the universe;
The impact of space conditions on the development of systems and products for both space and terrestrial applications.

Examples of studies supported by the Israel Space Agency: from the study of gamma-ray bursts, comets, and exoplanets to studies dealing with optical satellite technologies, atomic clocks and nanosatellites that will orbit the Earth in flight formation. All these and others receive support from the Israel Space Agency as part of the promotion of local academic research in the field of space.

Education and Community Relations

Alongside fostering international cooperation and supporting the space industry and applied research, the Israel Space Agency is also responsible for the promotion and development of the human capital required for the continued strengthening and growth of space activity in Israel, through various types of exposure to different target audiences:

Activities for exposure to the general public, with exposure to over two million participants per year. The highlight of these activities is Israel Space Week, which is held in the last week of January and exposes space to about half a million participants each year.
Fostering physical and digital communities and knowledge centers by supporting and/or leading human infrastructures (such as the Horizon community of educators), physical (such as public observatories) and digital (such as the Israel Space Agency's content website).
In-depth learning in schools in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, such as, for example, through the Ilan Ramon Space Olympiad competition, in which 500 classes participate each year, high school matriculation study units, and exposure activities around launches of important space missions.

Graduate training: Increasing the number of high school graduates with the knowledge and the sense of ability to work in the field of space. In our flagship program, TEVEL- "Students Building Satellites", students, both boys and girls, from local authorities from all over the country build nanosatellites, launch them and communicate with them in space.