At a meeting between Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Minister of Science, Culture & Sport Matan Vilnai, US Ambassador to Israel Daniel Kurtzer and US National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) Administrator, Daniel Goldin, it was agreed that NASA would launch Israeli satellites from its space shuttles, without payment. The agreement was part of a wider intensification of NASA collaboration with Israeli government and scientific institutions, including an Israeli astronaut and Israeli participation in the International Space Station project.
Thus far Israel has successfully launched three Ofek military reconnaissance satellites, but the fourth one exploded after launch. The delivery system Israel used until now was the Shavit rocket, developed and built by Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) and Rafael (Israel Armament Development Authority). The use of the NASA shuttles will greatly facilitate the development of Israel?s space program, which has suffered because of the prohibitive costs of independent delivery of the satellites to space.
Thus far Israel has successfully launched three Ofek military reconnaissance satellites, but the fourth one exploded after launch. The delivery system Israel used until now was the Shavit rocket, developed and built by Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) and Rafael (Israel Armament Development Authority). The use of the NASA shuttles will greatly facilitate the development of Israel?s space program, which has suffered because of the prohibitive costs of independent delivery of the satellites to space.