For the first time, high school students in Israel will be able to study, and take the matriculation exam, in physics with an emphasis on space studies. The new program, initiated by the Israel Space Agency in the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, has already found its way into the textbooks this year, as an option that teachers can offer as part of the extended physics studies (5 study units). In coming years, it will occupy a larger place in the study of physics studies, a subject taken by about 41,000 students each year. Space studies in schools that choose to teach this space program will constitute 30%-45% of the studies in the extended subject (about one and a half units in practice).
The program is part of the Israel Space Agency's broad vision to make the field of space accessible to high school and further education students in order to encourage them to work in the field in the future. The space industry is already in the midst of a boom on a global scale. "New space" is a phrase that characterizes this trend in space industries around the world, thanks to the reduction in launch costs and the opening of the field to more and more civilian uses. Thus, a field that until a few years ago was reserved only for the world's great powers, which exploited space mainly for intelligence and communications infrastructure, is becoming more accessible to the business and academic sectors.
The Israel Space Agency at the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology has identified the huge potential, and in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, they have developed a teaching unit for matriculation in the field of space. Through this unique program, students will acquire the knowledge and experience that will enable them to integrate into this promising industry. The program, developed by Tel Aviv University's Center for Science and Technology Education, consists of studies in three main fields: astronomy, cosmology, and space and satellite engineering.