“Israel’s investment in space is one of the ‘cheapest’ and most worthwhile that it is engaging in,” said Ministry of Defense Space Directorate Chairman Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Amnon Harari, as part of a review he delivered at a the ninth Ilan Ramon Annual International Space Conference, which opened today at the Fischer Institute for Air and Space Strategic Studies in Herzliya.
According to Harari, “For every shekel that the Space Program receives from the government, half a shekel goes back after about a month: NIS 0.18 as VAT, and another NIS 0.30 as income tax that is paid to the government by workers in the space industry through the salaries they are paid for their employment. Most of the budget in the space industry is invested in Israel, in acquiring [domestically manufactured] goods, and this policy is vigorously enforced.” Harari added that the second half of the shekel invested in the space industry is paid back in the form of security. “This is the kind of security that is always needed here, regardless of the chances of immediate war. Even in a time of complete calm, even in a time of peace, these are tools that allow for assuring and verifying that our near and less-near neighbors don’t have unwanted negative developments,” he said.
Israel is one of the ten countries in the world with full space capabilities, including satellites and launchers. According to Harari, the technological engines that make this accomplishment possible are the domestic defense industries, led by the Ministry of Defense. “Many ideas and solutions come about at defense companies, and come from them, but, if the government does not connect to them and fund them, they will remain in the realm of ideas,” he said.
The conference in memory of the first Israeli astronaut, Ilan Ramon, who was killed in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, was attended by heads of space agencies around the world, astronauts, and other space industry representatives. The conference was held in cooperation with the Ministry of Science and Technology’s Israel Space Agency (ISA).
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on January 29, 2014
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