Israel reaches for the skies and the moon
A telltale white plume streaked across the sky over Israel Monday morning, revealing the country’s latest missile test. No announcement was made on what propulsion system was tested but experts say it was for an intercontinental ballistic missile or a missile defense rocket. Either way, it was a manifestation of Israel’s activity in aerospace, a field in which it is developing significant new capabilities, including in the commercial sector.
The country has developed missile systems, such as the Jericho and the Shavit, which has been used to launch its own military satellites into space, anti-missile systems such as the Iron Dome and the Arrow, and is dominating the international export market for military drones.
One man who sits at the nexus of Israel’s space and drone industries is Yariv Bash, co-founder of SpaceIL, the organization that seeks to put Israel on the moon, and CEO of drone startup Flytrex.
With the latter he’s seeking to put into place complete solutions for automated drone delivery. While the former, SpaceIL, is a finalist, one of only five in the world, in Google’s Lunar X Prize competition for a privately funded moon landing.
Bash spoke to CNBC about his passion for all things flying and how he expects the aerospace industry in Israel to develop.
“I like to say that I found other people to pay for my hobbies. Seeing something hover above you in the air or seeing a spacecraft leaving the atmosphere, these are two of the most amazing feats you can do as an engineer.”
Read More: CNBC