Israel launches new national space lab to boost innovation and cut launch costs

Israel’s Innovation Authority and the Israel Space Agency jointly announced last week the creation of a new national space lab aimed at advancing space technologies by reducing the cost and complexity of developing such applications.

Aptly named Access to Space, the initiative has already received NIS 60 million (nearly $US19 million) in funding, including NIS 40 million ($US12.5 million) in government grants.

Israel’s Innovation, Science and Technology Minister Gila Gamliel hailed the new initiative as “a strategic milestone” for the Jewish state’s small but vibrant space industry. The new space lab will reportedly offer some 35% discounts on market rates for various launch and testing services. The strategic goal is to back the launch of at least 15 experimental payloads in the next three years. 

“Today, we are moving from planning to execution, granting Israel’s space industry an accessible, subsidized ‘entry ticket’ beyond the atmosphere. The laboratory will serve as a critical bridge enabling entrepreneurs and researchers to transform breakthrough ideas into proven space technologies, while removing complex economic and logistical barriers,” Gamliel stated, further assessing that “this is a direct investment in Israel’s economic and security future, ensuring that Israeli ingenuity continues to lead the global innovation frontier, also in outer space.”

Israel Innovation Authority Chairman Alon Stopel articulated similar sentiments: “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 creation of the R&D laboratory represents a significant step in positioning Israel as a global hub for space innovation. 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."

“Israeli tech is the main engine of Israel’s economy. High‑tech accounts for 57% of our exports and 20% of our GDP. Around 60% of the tech sector is concentrated in areas like cyber and fintech (financial technology) and others,” Stopel explained. 

He stressed that the advancement of the space industry benefits the Israeli economy’s long-term growth: “In order to continue driving economic growth in Israel, we need to develop additional pillars, and one of the most promising is space."

“We already see several startups entering the space domain, but they face significant barriers. One of the biggest challenges is the high cost of building a full value chain that can reach the moon or operate in space. These companies and startups need substantial resources and support to advance their ideas and technologies; without that support, many opportunities remain out of reach,” he added. 

Israel Space Agency Chair Dr. Shimrit Maman emphasized that the new program intends to reduce the logistical burden and costs for space-focused startups. She predicted that the new initiative would enable “them to focus on what truly matters, developing breakthrough technologies and achieving real proof of feasibility in space.” 

Despite its comparatively small size, Israel is one of the very few countries that has successfully launched satellites into space.

Looking ahead, Stopel stressed that the new space “initiative is one of the tools that will help us close that gap. Israel has the knowledge, the technology, and strong academic support in this field. Our strength will be in developing innovative solutions for challenges such as atmospheric monitoring, landscape analysis, launcher and satellite tools, and advanced integration systems. We are stepping in because we clearly recognize the gap, and we are committed to closing it.”

In 2021, Israel and the United Arab Emirates signed a historic agreement to cooperate on a space mission and a moon landing.

Shimon Sarid, CEO of the Israeli space company SpaceIL, praised the cooperation between Israel and the UAE. 

“If we combine the capabilities of the Israeli side and the Emirati side we can do a very interesting and successful mission,” Sarid predicted.