The fallout of the September 1^st destruction of the Amos-6 satellite in a catastrophic fire atop a Falcon 9 rocket continues to reverberate in Israel.

Let alone the question of whether the Amos-6 operator, Spacecom, is being sold to a Chinese investor (confirmed by Israeli press but then denied by Spacecom) a report from Science, Technology and Space Minister, Ofir Akunis bluntly tells the government that a significant cash injection is needed immediately to “rehabilitate Israel’s space program and build a new satellite to replace the Amos 6 satellite” destroyed in  September.

A Committee under Akunis recommended an immediate annual grant of NIS 20 million to the Space Communications Company (Spacecom) to lease a replacement for Amos 6 until a new satellite is constructed. An additional NIS 70 million is needed to launch a national, multi-year project to develop four more so the country is not dependent on foreign satellites, it said.  Spacecom has, in the meantime, leased a satellite from AsiaSat to serve clients from the lost Amos-6.

Additionally, the committee said the Israel Space Agency needs an annual budget of NIS 110 million. (NIS 30 million more than this year), and recommended building, every four years, a satellite to carry out engineering and scientific tasks.  “The space industry is in a severe crisis that threatens the national space program,” and replacing Amos 6 “is vital to ensuring Israel’s existence and maintaining our position in the small club of countries that operate in space,” the report stated.

Other posts by Chris Forrester:

1. Bank: Key debates for satellite sector in 2025
2. US grounds Starship flights
3. Musk loses Starship, but lands booster
4. Bank positive on AST SpaceMobile
5. ITU’s hands are tied on space jamming
6. Bezos and Musk rockets delay launches
7. Bank: Canal+ on a “super aggregation” strategy
8. Italy: Confusion over Starlink contract
9. Bezos vs Musk on Jan 10th

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