From Startup Nation to Space Nation: Inside Israel’s Booming Satellite Industry
Historical Background: From Ofeq to the Moon Israel’s space journey began modestly but ambitiously. In the 1960s, academia and defense researchers laid the groundwork for a national space program en.wikipedia.org. The Israeli Space Agency (ISA) was established in 1983 under the Ministry of Science (now Innovation, Science and Technology) to coordinate space activities en.wikipedia.org. Just five years later, in September 1988, Israel launched Ofeq-1, its first satellite, using a domestically developed Shavit rocket from Palmachim Airbase en.wikipedia.org. This successful launch made Israel one of only 8 countries at the time capable of launching satellites into orbit, a remarkable feat for