An investigation by the Israel Space Association reveals that Iran, Egypt and Saudi Arabia are expected to launch spy satellites in the coming year. Warns of budget cuts for the Air Force's space program
At a study evening held by the Israel Space Association in Herzliya, together with MK Yuval Steinitz, under the title "Space and Israel's National Security", the data of a comprehensive investigation carried out by Tal Inbar, vice president of the Israel Space Association, on the space programs in the Arab world were revealed. The data shows that Israel may find itself the target of three Arab spy satellites that will be launched in the coming year, at a time when the Air Force's space program budget has been cut by hundreds of millions of shekels, and there is no preparation for the replacement of Ofek 5, an old satellite that is supposed to be out of use in the coming years.
According to the investigation, which was conducted with the help of professional publications and international conferences, it appears that the GDR countries are investing a lot of effort in the field of space, and are in the midst of a comprehensive process to acquire advanced satellite capabilities - and Iran is even developing an independent space launch capability.
The development and construction of space assemblies and even complete satellites are done by other countries (Ukraine, Italy, Great Britain, Germany), which significantly shortens the period of time they need to achieve space capabilities. Furthermore, most countries (except Iran) rely on foreign launch services, unlike Israel which developed a self-developed satellite launcher, with a considerable investment.
The authors of the investigation claim that the FTAA countries are gaining a lot of experience in the field of space, and it is assumed that experience in the field of development, production, integrations and launches will significantly shorten the learning curve of these countries compared to Israel.
Iranian satellite - intelligence and propaganda benefit
Iran is investing a lot of effort in developing an intelligence gathering satellite and developing an independent launcher, based in part on the "Shihab 3" ballistic missile technology. On the evening of the review, the Israel Space Association's assessment of the capability of the Iranian intelligence satellite was presented, from which it appears that the weight of the satellite will be about 20 kilos, and its camera will allow receiving images with a resolution of about 2 meters. The president of Iran, Mohammad Khatami, oversees the program personally.
Iran already has a satellite launcher, based on the Shihab-3 missile technology, and known as "IRIS", capable of launching a payload of up to 20 kg into space.
The first Iranian satellite, Sapir 313 will serve as a technological demonstrator and is supposed to be launched into space in March 2005 using the Iranian satellite launcher. Apparently, this satellite is being developed in collaboration with an Italian company.
Iran is also developing the "Mesbah" (Lighthouse): an intelligence satellite, based on an analysis of its illustration, which appeared without explanation on the website of the Iranian Space Agency, it appears that it is a satellite with a diameter of about one meter equipped with a camera with a diameter of about 30 cm, which allows a resolution of about 2-3 meters. The date of its launch is not yet known.
The people of the Israel Space Association point out that an Iranian achievement in launching a satellite by a self-developed launcher will be a media event on a global scale and will be used by Iran for propaganda purposes, beyond the obvious intelligence benefit.
Egypt maintains an aggressive space program, which was defined by officials as "a response to the Israeli Horizon program". This February, an Egyptian intelligence satellite will be launched, built in cooperation with the Yuzhnoy company from Ukraine. The Egyptians do not specify what the quality of the satellite will be (which was revealed on the evening of the review for the first time). Another intelligence satellite was built for Egypt by the Italian "Carlo Gavazzi" company, and it also does not yet have a launch date.
Saudi Arabia has small research satellites, developed by Saudi teams under British guidance. Official Saudi announcements talk about the construction of a Saudi spy satellite.
KA training in the field of space as a strategic national goal
The launch of the Ofek 6 satellite. There is no preparation for the replacement of the old "Ofek 5" which is supposed to be out of use in the coming years. The Israel Space Association claims that Israel must continue to base its space capabilities on its own sources without the help of outsiders. According to them, an Israeli military communication satellite is an essential and especially important factor for establishing Israel's strategic advantage for the next decade.
They add that scientific and technological training in the field of space should be seen as a strategic national goal, and the resources required for scientific and technological education should be set aside from a young age, through the academy and ending with the integration of human resources in the Israeli space industry.
