The Israeli space sector took a significant step forward on Thursday with the launch of a national research-and-development laboratory that will seek to lower barriers to space access for local tech companies.
Access to Space,” an initiative of the Israel Space Agency and the Israel Innovation Authority, “will be led by Creation Space and has a 60 million shekels ($18.8 million) budget, mainly in government grants.
For the first time, Israeli startups, companies and research institutions will gain access to infrastructure covering development, testing, launch and in-orbit operation of space technologies, all at a subsidized price.
The program offers discounts of at least 35% off market prices and seeks to enable the launch into space of at least 15 payloads over three years.
Creation Space brings proven experience to the initiative, operating a dedicated space accelerator that has already supported 15 companies across two cohorts, alongside an investment fund that has invested approximately $6 million in space initiatives based out of Israel.
Access to Space will bring together the leading industrial and technological partners as part of the new national laboratory.
The establishment of the national laboratory “is a strategic milestone in strengthening Israel’s technological sovereignty in space,” said Israeli Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology Gila Gamliel.
“Today, we are moving from planning to execution, granting Israel’s space industry an accessible, subsidized ‘entry ticket’ beyond the atmosphere,” added the minister.
Alon Stopel, chairman of the Israel Innovation Authority, said in the Thursday statement: “Investing in infrastructure that enables the testing, demonstration and launch of advanced technologies will strengthen Israel’s competitive advantage, attract global activity and allow even early-stage companies to compete on the international stage.
“The goal is to enable small Israeli teams to operate with certainty and stability, and to focus on developing technologies and applications rather than building infrastructure,” said Stopel.
Israel Space Agency Chairwoman Shimrit Maman said the initiative was “built on a deep understanding of the bottlenecks in the space industry.
“We are removing the burden of infrastructure, logistics and launch from entrepreneurs, allowing them to focus on what truly matters, developing breakthrough technologies and achieving real proof of feasibility in space,” she said.
The initiative followed a decision by the TELEM (National Infrastructure Forum for Research and Development) program, which earlier this year approved a dedicated budget for the establishment of national space infrastructure through pooled Israeli government resources.
Funding partners for the project include the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, the Israel Innovation Authority, the Planning and Budgeting Committee (PBC), the Directorate of Defense Research & Development (DDR&D) and the Ministry of Finance.
