The Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel announced that the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will launch the first Israeli space telescope into Earth orbit in 2026.
NASA will launch Israel’s first space telescope, ULTRASAT, into Earth orbit in early 2026, the institute said in a written statement.
The launch of the telescope is part of a newly signed partnership between NASA and Israel’s Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, the statement said, adding that ULTRASAT is the main project of the institute and the Space Agency of the ministry.
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The telescope is expected to revolutionize scientists’ ability to detect and analyze transient events in the universe, such as neutron star mergers. ULTRASAT’s unprecedented field of view of 204 square degrees represents a 100-fold leap in the extragalactic volume scientists use to detect transitional sources compared to observatories around the world, the statement said.
ULTRASAT will measure ultraviolet light that cannot be measured from Earth and provide the scientific community with real-time warnings about transient events. The successful completion of the mission will prove that scientific breakthroughs can be achieved using small satellites at a relatively reasonable cost of about $90 million per spacecraft and instrument, the statement said.
ULTRASAT will pave the way for Israel’s future space initiatives, the statement said.
