An Israeli satellite designed and developed by students at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology will be launched by the Russian space industry in the next two years, under a cooperative agreement signed this week in Haifa.
The Technion has already started to design the satellite in cooperation with several Israeli companies, including Israel Aircraft Industries.
The Russians will build the rocket needed to launch the satellite and will launch it in Russia.
The project will mark the first time a foreign concern will launch an Israeli satellite.
According to Technion officials, the microsatellite, weighing 115 pounds, will be one of only three student satellites in the world.
Labeled the Gurwin-1-Techsat, it is slated to include Technion-designed communications equipment and a video surveying camera.
An official of the Israel Space Agency, which is also involved in the project, said the satellite would also be used to carry out experiments, including ozone measurements.
“This is the first of a series of satellites that the Technion will design and launch into space, providing our students with real hands-on experience and preparing human resources for Israel’s future space technology industry,” said Technion President Zehev Tadmor.
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