The State Comptroller: Since 2008, the State of Israel has been caught up in a continuous crisis in the field of space, including in the field of communication satellites, which was caused, among other things, by the lack of a national policy

The National Security Headquarters, the Ministry of Science and Technology and other relevant bodies must draw the necessary lessons from this report, act with a long-term vision, and take without delay the necessary actions that will ensure the preservation and promotion of the capabilities built in the country in this field. In this rule, they must examine the best way to ensure the provision of satellite services needed by the State of Israel, whether through a government company or in another way, states the auditor in the field of communication satellites. The outline is only a short-term solution, and it is doubtful whether it will lead to a satisfactory solution to the crisis in the field

Since 2008, the State of Israel has been caught up in a continuous crisis in the field of space, including in the field of communication satellites, which was caused, among other things, by the lack of a national policy. This is according to a report published today by the State Comptroller, Yosef Shapira. The readers of the site surely know this from the many articles published on the subject over a long period of time. Now, as mentioned, the State Comptroller is required for the subject.

News on the subject published on the Hadaan website in 2018:

• Space Communications canceled the contract for the production of Amos 8 in the USA, and with a high probability of transferring it to the aviation industry
• Who will operate the Amos 8 satellite that the government decided to finance on 2/9/18?
• Chalal Communications fears the consequences of possible competition from the aerospace industry
• Ministry of Science: "We will promote a communication satellite owned by the Israeli government"

• After the communication space announcement of the purchase of Amos 8 from L'Oreal, IAA will build a communication satellite and market it itself - An interview with Moshe Or-Tess who served as the director of the space sector in the aerospace industry during the decision making period

"The activity of the State of Israel in the field of space is an important lever for the development of technologies needed by the State of Israel. The State of Israel's investment in this field contributes to the needs of national security. These investments also contribute to the advancement of industry, the economy, science and technology and help to improve the country's international status.

The Israel Space Agency was established in 1983 as a state body operating next to the Ministry of Science and Technology[1] (hereinafter - the Ministry of Science). The mission of Salah is to formulate plans and methods of action in the field of space and to implement them within the resources that will be allocated for this.

The communication satellites[2] produced by Israel are an important component of the national space program. These satellites enable technological control and communication at all times and are required to guarantee the country's media independence and its independence from external factors.

From the nineties of the twentieth century, four communication satellites developed and manufactured by the Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. (hereinafter - the Israel Aerospace Industries) were successfully launched into space - Amos 1, 2, 3 and 4. Three of the satellites are owned by the Space Communications Company. The Space Company purchased them from the TEA and leased them to its customers, satellite communication services. The Space Company is the main supplier in Israel in everything related to satellite communication services.

Since 2008, the State of Israel has been caught up in a continuous crisis in the field of space, including in the field of communication satellites. This crisis was caused, among other things, by the lack of a national policy within the framework of which the state's goals and objectives were determined in the field of space, including in the field of communication satellites, and by the lack of a multi-year plan derived from this policy and providing a response to the state's needs in the field. In September 2016, the Amos 6 satellite of a space company developed and manufactured by the Israel Defense Forces was supposed to be launched into space; Amos 6 is intended to replace the Amos 2 satellite. While refueling a launcher of an American company responsible for launching Amos 6, which was done as part of the preparations for the launch, the launcher exploded, causing the complete loss of the satellite. All of these caused the worsening of the crisis in which the State of Israel was caught in the field of space, a crisis which endangers the future of the field in the State of Israel, with an emphasis on communication satellites.

At the time of the end of the audit, June 2017, two communication satellites produced by the Israel Defense Forces, owned by the Space Company - Amos 3 and Amos 4 - were active in space. In addition, after the loss of the Amos 6 satellite, the Space Company leased a satellite from a foreign company (Amos 7 ), in order to provide its customers with the services that Amos was supposed to provide 6. In March 2018, after the end of the audit, the space company ordered from a foreign company B[4] the production of a communication satellite[5] intended to replace Amos 7. Ordering a communication satellite from a foreign company and not from the "A may lead to considerable damage to the capabilities of the State of Israel in the field of communication satellites.

audit operations

From February to June 2017, the State Comptroller's office examined, among other things, decision-making processes in the field of communication satellites in the State of Israel. Certain topics were updated until July 2018. The following were examined: the national policy in the field of communication satellites, including the activities of the Ministry of Science and the National Security Headquarters (hereafter - the National Defense Headquarters) after the loss of the Amos 6 satellite; and the mechanisms established to regulate the activities of a space company, which are intended to protect the interests of the State of Israel in the field of communication satellites, including the manner of their implementation. The audit was carried out in the Ministry of Science, the Ministry of Communications, the TAA, the MLA and other bodies.

In April 2018, in view of the decision of a space company to purchase a satellite from a foreign company B, the State Comptroller addressed the Prime Minister in a letter[6], in which he stated, among other things, that the necessary actions must be taken without delay for the purpose of establishing a government policy in the field of communication satellites and for the budgeting of this field according to the regulations Priorities vis-a-vis other national issues. This is in order not to harm the achievements of the State of Israel in this field, and so that the state does not lose strategic capabilities.

The main shortcomings

The recommendations of committees established to formulate a national space program were not implemented

The ongoing crisis in the field of space, including in the field of communication satellites, into which the State of Israel has fallen since 2008 is caused, among other things, by the lack of a national policy within the framework of which the goals and objectives of the state are determined in the field of space, including in the field of communication satellites, and due to the lack of a multi-year plan derived from this policy, backed by in an appropriate budget and that responds to the needs of the State of Israel in the field.

Since 2009, various bodies have been working on the issue of the national space program of the State of Israel. However, until July 2018, the recommendations of these bodies were implemented very partially or not at all. The absence of a national policy and a multi-year plan that responds to the needs and is backed by an appropriate budget, causes, among other things, instability and inefficiency in the field of communication satellites and damage to the ability of the IEA to continue to maintain the development and production line of these satellites.

The lack of discussion in the government regarding the Israeli space program, including in the field of communication satellites

In the absence of an appropriate budgetary allocation, the Ministry of Science did not include a reference to the field of communication satellites in the draft proposal for decision-makers on the topic "Government Plan for the Empowerment and Strengthening of Civil Space in Israel" from February 2016. This is despite the recommendation of the Committee for Research and Development Policy in the field of space, which operates in the National Council for Research and Development[8], regarding the need to preserve the strategic asset of communications through the allocation of "permanent" funds to the field of communications satellites.

Until the end of the audit, the Ministry of Science, including the National Council for Research and Development and the SLA did not bring the draft proposal of the decision-makers to the government for approval. As a result, the Israeli government did not discuss a follow-up program on the space issue, did not establish a policy regarding the promotion of this program, and did not make a decision regarding the allocation of budgets to strengthen the space sector in Israel and its derivatives.

News published on the subject of the loss of Amos 6 on the website:

• Explosion at the SPACEX launch pad at Cape Canaveral * Prof. Ben Israel: the Amos 6 satellite was destroyed
• Communication Space: Losing Amos 6 has a material impact on society; Facebook: We will have to do without satellite for now
• Over a year after the explosion of Amos 6 - there is still no agreed outline for the construction of Amos 8

The activity of the Ministry of Science, the MLA, and other relevant parties after the loss of the Amos 6 satellite

The outline drawn up by the MLA, the Ministry of Science and other relevant parties included the implementation of the Amos 8 satellite project and only principles for a multi-year plan in the field of communication satellites in the State of Israel, without determining the number of satellites to be developed, manufactured and launched, without determining detailed timetables on a multi-year level And without allocating the budgets required to implement such a plan. If this outline is the basis for a decision-making proposal, it will only partially reduce, if at all, the uncertainty in the long term in the field of communication satellites, and it is doubtful whether it will adequately respond to the need to maintain continuity and stability in this field and to improve its efficiency; Objectives that were part of the Space Committee's recommendations[9]. Also, the outline formulated is only a short-term solution, and it is doubtful whether it will lead to a satisfactory solution to the crisis that the State of Israel has found itself in in the field of communication satellites.

Failure to update the space company's license

For about 15 years, in the years 2000 - 2015, the Ministry of Communications did not update the conditions of the special license it granted to the space company, despite the substantial changes that took place in its operations. The failure of the Ministry of Communications in this context is given renewed validity in view of the appeals of a space company to it with a request to update the terms of the license due to the changes that have taken place in its activity. The State Comptroller's Office views this behavior of the Ministry of Communications with severity.

Regulating the interests of the State of Israel in the field of communication satellites

Despite the inquiries of an authorized security authority to the space company over the years regarding the regulation of the security classification of its employees, the classification was not regulated. Even after the amendment of the Space Company's license in 2015, which included the obligation to regulate the classification of directors and office holders in the company, the issue was not settled.

Despite the difficulties in regulating the security classification of the company's employees, a qualified security authority did not deal with the issue decisively and as required with the involvement of the most senior officials at the beginning of the formation of these difficulties. Until the end of the audit, the issue of regulating the security classification of directors and officers in the company has not yet been resolved.

Appointment of an observer on behalf of the state at the board meetings of the Space Company

In the revised license of the space company, it was stipulated that an observer from the state would be appointed on the company's board of directors. The activity of the observer was supposed to allow the Ministry of Communications and an authorized security authority to supervise the operations of the space company and ensure that the interests of the State of Israel are safeguarded. Until May 2018, the issue of responsibility for locating an observer on behalf of the state on the board of the Space Company was not settled, and in practice no observer was appointed. Also, no alternative mechanism was established to achieve the goals that were supposed to be achieved through the appointment of the observer.

A situation of lack of supervision and control over the company's activities on the part of the other parties concerned, through an observer or through another mechanism, may result in damage to the interests of the State of Israel and must be rectified immediately.

The main recommendations

The MLA, in cooperation with the Ministry of Science and other relevant parties, must carry out headquarters work on the issue of preserving the development and production infrastructure of the communication satellites in the TAA. In this framework, it is necessary to examine ways to meet the needs that require the use of the communication satellites produced by the Israel Defense Forces and their operation by an Israeli company, and determine the budgets required for this.

The MLA, in cooperation with the Ministry of Science and other relevant parties, must act without delay to bring the subject of the state's activity in the field of communication satellites to the government for discussion, and in the discussion the possible alternatives for preserving and promoting this field will be presented
The MLA, in cooperation with the Ministry of Science and other relevant parties, must act without delay to bring the issue of the State of Israel's activity in the field of communication satellites to the government for discussion. In the discussion, among other things, the best way to ensure the provision of communication satellite services needed by the State of Israel, whether through a government company or in another way, must be presented. It is also necessary to present the possible alternatives for preserving and promoting the field of communication satellites, including the alternative of implementing the recommendations of the committee appointed in September 2016 by the Minister of Science and Technology. This is so that there will be a discussion of the answer that each alternative gives to the needs of the state, the set of risks involved in the adoption of each alternative and the budgets that will be required for its implementation. Such a discussion will allow the government to make a systemic decision regarding the future of the field of communication satellites in the State of Israel and its prioritization compared to other issues, which will be based on all the relevant information and not only on budgetary considerations.

The Ministry of Communications and other relevant parties, including a qualified security authority, must ensure the implementation of the mechanisms established in the license granted to the space company, including resolving the issue of regulating the security classification of the company's employees and officers, and if necessary, even establish additional mechanisms that can be enforced. All this so that the interests of the state relating to the activities of a space company can be maintained.

Summary

In the State of Israel, a unique technological and human infrastructure has been painstakingly built over decades, mainly in Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd., which relies on knowledge and quality personnel. This infrastructure has brought the State of Israel considerable achievements in the field of space in general and in the field of communication satellites in particular. These achievements contribute to national security, to the promotion of industry, the economy, science and technology, and also help to improve the country's international status. Communication satellites made in Israel and owned by Israel constitute a strategic infrastructure of the State of Israel. This infrastructure is of utmost importance, and it is required, among other things, to ensure the country's media independence, independent of external factors.

The State of Israel has been caught up in an ongoing crisis in the field of space, with an emphasis on the field of communication satellites. This crisis was caused, among other things, by the lack of a national space policy, by the lack of a multi-year work plan supported by the budget derived from this policy and providing a response to the needs in the field of space; And due to only partial implementation, or the lack of implementation at all, of the recommendations of various bodies that have been active in the country on the issue of space since 2009. This crisis endangers the future of the space sector in the State of Israel, with an emphasis on the field of communication satellites.

As for the activities of the State of Israel in the field of communication satellites, the National Security Headquarters, the Ministry of Science and Technology and other relevant bodies must draw the necessary lessons from this report, act with a long-term vision, and take without delay the necessary actions that will ensure the preservation and advancement of the capabilities built in the country in this field. In this rule, they must examine the best way to ensure the provision of satellite services needed by the State of Israel, whether through a government company or in another way; and present to the government all the alternatives that are on the agenda, their meanings, costs and the risks of not implementing them. This is for the purpose of determining government policy in the field of communication satellites and its budgeting according to priorities compared to other national issues, as stated in the State Comptroller's letter to the Prime Minister from April 2018; and so that the achievements of the State of Israel in this field do not go down the drain; And so that the country does not lose strategic capabilities built up over decades. 23