Israel to sign European satellite project agreement tomorrow

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An agreement will be signed tomorrow enabling Israeli companies to participate in the Galileo European satellite navigation system project. Minister of Industry, Trade, and Labor Ehud Olmert said that Israel would transfer NIS 100 million over five years to support the Galileo project. The investment will entitle Israel to a seat on the board of directors of the joint venture.

The agreement will enable Israeli space industries to take part in tenders in the first stage of the project, including the satellite segment (four satellites), the land segment (stations for controlling and monitoring satellites), and the users segment (in space, in the atmosphere, on land, and in the sea). At least NIS 20 million is for buying a seat on the Galileo board.

It is assumed that the companies winning the early stage tenders will also be invited to the second (commercial) stage, which involves 26 satellites at a total cost of €40 billion.

The initial list of Israel companies that are candidates to participate in the tenders for the first stage of Galileo includes Israel Aircraft Industries, RAFAEL Armament Development Authority Ltd., Orbit/FR, BAE Systems Rokar International, and AccuBeat. Participation by Israeli companies is expected to be greater at the applications stage.
Israeli sources believe that enormous potential exists for satellite navigation systems. These involve a wide range of civilian uses, including air, land and sea transportation; oil and geological exploration; agriculture; and fishing, which are expected to be worth €50 billion by the end of the current decade.

Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor director-general Raanan Dinur said that Israel’s joining the Galileo program would also significantly increase the Israel industry’s chances of penetrating and achieving a significant market share of applications for the satellite services that the project will supply. These are estimated in the hundreds of billions of euros by 2020.

Source: Globes

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