The Italian Space Agency (ASI) and the Israel Space Agency (ISA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the development of the joint Spaceborne Hyperspectral Applicative Land And Ocean (SHALOM) Mission. The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the International Astronautical Congress hosted by the ISA in Jerusalem.
The agreement signed at the Italian Embassy by the President of ASI Battiston and the Director General of ISA Menachem Kidron, in the presence of the Italian Ambassador Francesco Talo and ISA Chair Isaac Ben-Israel, strengthen the cooperation for peaceful purpose between the two agencies in the earth observation field. The SHALOM Mission will be operative in 2021with a single satellite, and will exploit hyperspectral technologies in the VNIR/SWIR/PAN bands for commercial, scientific applications.
“The SHALOM mission is an additional important step forward in the cooperation between Italian and Israeli space agencies that demonstrate the societal high value of Earth Observation applications”, said Roberto Battiston, President of ASI. “The use of space technologies is crucial to improve and secure several human activities such as environmental protection, disaster prevention, observation for food and agriculture support”.
“This agreement is the result of the hard work of the dedicated Italian and Israeli professionals who joined together as a team to provide an outstanding tool which adds a new dimension to our current Earth observation capabilities. It is our goal that this will be utilized for the betterment of humanity” said Menachem Kidron, the Director General of the ISA. “This is a good opportunity to acknowledge and thank our colleagues for the very fruitful collaboration we have with the Italian Space Agency,” he concluded.
Notes to editors
ASI and ISA signed a Cooperation Agreement Concerning Space Cooperation for Peaceful Purposes on June 2009 in Paris that provide that the Agencies may negotiate and conclude specific implementing arrangements in order to pursue cooperative programs in the areas of common interest. On July 2010 the Agencies signed an Implementation Agreement (IA) on Cooperation in a Joint Definition Phase of a Spaceborne Hyperspectral Applicative Land And Ocean Mission “SHALOM”.
About ASI (Italian Space Agency) – www.asi.it
ASI coordinates and implements the space policy in Italy. Operating under the Ministry for Education, University and Research, the agency is responsible for both drafting the National Aerospace Plan and ensuring it is carried out operating as the owner/coordinator of a number of Italian space research agencies and assets such as CIRA (Italian Aerospace Research Center). ASI designs and builds capabilities organizing the calls and opportunities process for Italian industrial contractors on spaceflight projects and cooperating with several national and international entities involved in aerospace research and technology. ASI provides Italy’s delegation to the Council of the European Space Agency.
About Israeli Space Agency
The Israel Space Agency is part of Israel’s Ministry of Science, Technology and Space, that coordinates all Israeli civil space activities.
The Israel Space Agency’s goals include advancing infrastructural research at academic and research institutions; supporting the development of innovative and unique space technologies by Israeli Industries; cultivating a new generation of space scientists through space education and community projects; and encouraging the expansion and growth of Israel’s space industry.
Follow ASI on Twitter @ASI_spazio
ASI Press Contact
andrea.zanini@asi.it
Phone: +39 06 8567.365
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ISA Press Contact
libio@most.gov.il
Phone: +972 2 5411172
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