ISA

The Israel Space Agency was established in 1983 and operates under Israel’s science ministry. It coordinates the country’s civilian space program and international partnerships, while much of Israel’s satellite work is carried out by its defense and aerospace industries.

Israel’s best-known deep-space effort is Beresheet, a lunar lander built by the nonprofit SpaceIL with ISA support, which reached the Moon in April 2019 but crashed during its landing attempt. A follow-up, Beresheet 2, was announced in 2025 as a joint project with the Italian Space Agency. ISA is also funding Israel’s share of ULTRASAT, an ultraviolet space telescope planned for a high orbit beyond geosynchronous altitude.