ABSTRACT

Carrying out an indigenous national space program for a small state, like Israel, requires a long-term and sustained commitment by the state to invest resources. The case of Israel’s space effort, therefore, is a unique one. Israel was the eighth state in the world to develop and launch a satellite into space, which was accomplished in 1988. 1 Traditionally, Israel’s space policy was shaped by a pragmatic approach, aiming foremost to provide the state with early warning intelligence, deterrence, and self-reliance in cutting-edge technologies. For these reasons, Israel’s space activities are primarily focused on niche technologies of reconnaissance, remote sensing, Earth observations, and communications.