This month, Israel launched a new surveillance satellite reportedly aimed at monitoring Iran’s nuclear program. In an email interview, Deganit Paikowsky, a senior researcher the Yuval Neeman Workshop for Science, Technology and Security and an adjunct lecturer at the Security Studies Program at Tel Aviv University, explained the evolution and objectives of Israel’s space program.
WPR: What is the background of Israel’s space program, and how has it evolved recently?
Deganit Paikowsky: Israel has a long and successful legacy in space, having developed robust and competitive space industries and applications for national and commercial use. The Israeli Space Agency (ISA) was established in 1983. Historically, Israel’s space activities have focused on high-resolution imaging satellites in low Earth orbits and geosynchronous telecommunication satellites. Ofeq-10 is the 15th satellite Israel has successfully launched into space.