Israel in Space

Palmahim is a kibbutz located less than ten miles south of Tel Aviv and overlooks some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Just to the south lies Palmahim Air Base. The base is known for housing Israeli air-force drones that support ground operations in Gaza. It is less well-known, for now at least, for its other purpose: serving as Israel’s spaceport, the place from which the nation launches a steady stream of satellites meant primarily for national-security use, though increasingly for commercial use as well.

Indeed, Palmahim is the physical hub of a rapidly growing Israeli space mission and industry, itself one of the most underappreciated stories about Israel’s rise as a high-tech titan. The Jewish state’s space program draws on a constellation of public and private entities: there’s the government itself; the abundant research and development at universities; a deep reservoir of technical skill and experience at dozens of core defense and aerospace companies; a broader pool of start-up smarts and entrepreneurial energy; and a confident and eager workforce.

It’s a workforce attuned to Israel’s strategic situation, thanks to its training in the IDF, and one in which, as one member of the workforce put it, every Israeli girl is taught to think of herself as Wonder Woman, whether on the battlefield, in the research lab, the corporate board room, or while preparing the next generation of nanosatellites.