Some in Israel call revived space industry crucial
Tuesday, November 3, 2009 E-Mail this story Free Headline Alerts
TEL AVIV Ñ Israel's government is being lobbied to make the space industry a government priority.
Officials said the Defense Ministry and other government departments have recommended that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu invest significantly more in the nation's space and satellite industry. They said the industry growth was vital for Israel's economy and defense sector.
"If we don't take immediate steps there will be a reduction and layoffs starting next year in Israel's space industry and our technological advantage will be lost," Israel Space Agency chairman Yitzhak Ben-Yisrael said.
The warning was the latest by Ben-Yisrael and other officials regarding the expected decline in Israel's space industry. The industry was said to receive about $50 million in annual government funding, about one-third of what was needed to save the sector.
On Nov. 3, Ben-Yisrael, a Tel Aviv University professor, convened a seminar on the future of Israel's space industry. He said Israel was ranked No. 5 in the $150 billion global space industry, yet earned a fraction of its foreign counterparts.
"Israel is one of the few manufacturers in the global commercial space sector and it hardly operates in this market," Ben-Yisrael said. "There must be a government policy to turn the existing asset into an economic lever."