NASA to launch Israel's first space telescope

NASA is gearing up to launch Israel's very first telescope mission. The Ultraviolet Transient Astronomy Satellite or the ULTRASAT will be launched into a geostationary orbit in early 2026.

“We are proud to join this partnership, an international effort that will help us better understand the mysteries of the hot, transient universe,” said Mark Clampin, director of the Astrophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “ULTRASAT will give the global science community another important capability for making new observations in the nascent field of time domain and multimessenger astrophysics programs.”

ULTRASAT is an ultraviolet observatory with a large field of view. It is aimed to observe short-duration space events like supernova and merger of neutron stars. ULTRASAT's large field of view will allow it to quickly discover and capture ultraviolet light from such sources.

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"Groundbreaking science calls for cutting-edge technology,” said Uri Oron, director of the Israel Space Agency in the Ministry of Innovation, Science, and Technology. “Our requirements from ULTRASAT, such as a wide field of view, advanced ultraviolet sensitivity, and real-time data control and transfer are at the forefront of technological developments. Israel’s space industry can deliver these capabilities. The Israel Space Agency is proud of the cooperation with NASA as a direct example of the strong partnership between the agencies, and of the Israeli space industry's technological effort involved in the development of the telescope."

Oron was quoted by NASA.

As per agreement between NASA and Israel Space Agency, the former will provide launch service, Flight Payload Adapter and other launch-related services for ULTRASAT.

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