IAI is the one that built the satellite at a cost of 200 million dollars
The Aerospace Industry, the company that built the Amos 6 communications satellite that exploded today on its launcher at the launch pad of the SpaceX company in Cape Canaveral, Florida, issued a first response following the explosion in which the Amos 6 satellite was lost:
"The Amos 6 communication satellite is the largest and most advanced ever built in the State of Israel, by Israel Aerospace Industries for a space company. The construction of the satellite was finished a long time ago and it was moved to the launch site for the purpose of integration with the launcher of the SpaceX company with which the space company contracted. We are sorry for the loss of the satellite due to the failure of the SpaceX launcher and we are at the service of the space company in any matter. The field of communication satellites is strategic for the aerospace industry and for the State of Israel and we hope that the state will continue to act in favor of preserving knowledge in the field and continuing the production of Israeli communication satellites."
Cross roads
Today there were no statements from the aerospace industry, but for years they have been warning about the aerospace industry's dependence on a single customer, long before the explosion.
"The deal to purchase the Internet capacity of the Amos 6 satellite, which is currently being built in the aerospace industry for the Space Communications company by Facebook, testifies to the ability to manufacture satellites in Israel - but it is still in danger of being closed. The future of the Israeli satellite industry is shrouded in fog." This is what Ofer Doron, CEO of the Aerospace Industry's Mabat Space plant, says in an interview with the website Hidan: "The European and US governments are investing huge capital in the development of communication satellites that are then used by their operators, the State of Israel is not really investing. The situation is very difficult to the point of questioning this ability. I hope that we will be able to launch in the near future with Amos 7. If not, it will be very difficult to maintain the ability to produce satellites. From this point of view, the news of the purchase of Amos 6's internet capacity is good news, but despite this, there is a big shadow hanging over us of the closing of the capacity. We are definitely at a crossroads."
Doron also said similar things at the annual Ilan Ramon space conference In January 2016 "We are not able to realize even the small budget of the Israeli Space Agency. We need to leverage the great achievements of the military space programs for civilian applications and for the budgets to support dual use. Without a civilian permit mechanism, as is customary in the world, it simply won't work. It is impossible to create a civilian space without permits."
Previous news on the topic on the science website:
- SpaceX first response: the explosion of the Falcon 9 and Amos 6 happened due to an anomaly in the launch pad, and not in the rocket itself
- Explosion at the SPACEX launch pad at Cape Canaveral * Prof. Ben Israel: the Amos 6 satellite was destroyed
7 תגובות
Instead of all this pyrotechnics, they could sell the knowledge to the Chinese and make a fortune! Really!
For Yuval, yes, the launch does not have to be in Israel
To "some name":
A. If you think that Israel can develop a fail-safe satellite launcher, you are naive. This argument is enough to close the discussion.
B. The US launches satellites from its east coast so that the missile's trajectory passes over the ocean, which ensures that in the event of a malfunction, the missile will fall into the sea, instead of a city. Israel only has a west coast, which makes launching spy satellites more complicated than you think.
It is understood that it is still possible to launch in the opposite direction, but for the safety of the residents of Yavne, Rehovot, and Jerusalem, it is better not to do that, not to mention the diplomatic incident in case the missile crashes in Jordan.
The Israeli spacecraft that will be launched in 2017 to the moon is also in danger! Because you can't trust the USA!
It is a mistake that Israel did not know how to develop a satellite launcher for geostationary orbit and launch Amos satellites by itself. We need a government company to operate them, not a private company like space that can be sold to the Chinese one morning. An Israeli communication satellite in space should be part of our national security concept, we have neglected the field of space and the Israeli space industry amounts to IAA's Amos satellites, as if without considering the military space industry that includes Ofek and the "Shavit" launcher. But it is still a tiny industry whose civilian part threatens to disappear. It is known that recent governments do not excel at long-term thinking, but we can demand that they at least preserve components that are essential to our security.
The Americans despise Israeli lives and Israeli property. It is no coincidence that Ilan Ramon was remembered as a blessing, and Israel's most expensive satellite crashed there!