Nahman Shai
Nahman ShaiFlash 90

MK Nahman Shai (Zionist Union) sent a letter to the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, MK Avi Dichter (Likud) in which he blasted the status of the Israeli space program.

“The destruction of the Amos-6 satellite revealed the Israeli space program for what it is. Despite lofty and inflated words, the Israeli space program is standing on shifting sand . It is built on improvisations and on [a miniscule] available budget.

“Together with Amos-6, damage has been caused to the long-term security of Israel, and there is currently no way to rehabilitate it. Israel, as usual, is living from hand to mouth but, in this case, such an admission has direct implications for Israel’s security.”

The statements come after the Falcon-6 rocket, carrying the Israel Amos-6 communications satellite, exploded at launch at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The explosion put a question-mark on the future of the Israeli space program, which was already being threatened with budget cuts.