NASA invites Israel to cooperate in the “Artemis 3 and 4” missions

Now, Israeli research and development will be able to integrate onto nanosatellites (CubeSats) with a volume of 6 U and 12U that will be deployed from the Orion spacecraft in orbits around the Earth, the Moon or in heliocentric orbits. The new opportunity rests on an expanding strategic partnership between Israel and NASA, on the success of Israel’s scientific involvement in Artemis 1, and on the strategic agreement with NASA that Minister Gamliel signed a few months ago anchoring the expansion of cooperation in the fields of lunar exploration, space science, space technologies, education and human capital.

Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology Gila Gamaliel: “NASA’s invitation is an expression of confidence in Israel’s scientific and technological capabilities and a testament to the strength of the scientific alliance between us and the US. The strategic agreement that I led with NASA opens a door to the most important space missions in the world for researchers, researchers and the Israeli industry, and an opportunity to create international collaborations that will establish Israel’s position as a civilian space power. Israel proved with Artemis 1 that it knows how to bring unique knowledge to space and now a new window of opportunity has opened to make an Israeli mark at the heart of the most ambitious space program in the 21st century.”

The director of the Israel Space Agency, Ran Levana, added: “This is a short-term call but of great significance. We are looking for mature, precise ideas with a clear scientific or technological value, which can meet high standards of science and will compete with proposals from all over the world for integration into the Artemis mission. For researchers, universities and Israeli companies, this is an opportunity to enter a direct work path with one of the world’s main space programs. We are calling the Academy And for the Israeli industry to dare and dream far. Our proven capabilities in satellite miniaturization and precise scientific instruments are exactly what NASA is looking for.”

The calling voice is intended for the initial characterization phase only, and does not require a final task definition at this stage. The proposals will be evaluated according to technological maturity, engineering feasibility, scientific and technological contribution, ability to meet integration requirements, and a commitment to publish the mission data to the public within six months of the end of the mission.

The Ministry of Innovation stated: “Israel is no stranger to the Artemis program. Already in the Artemis I mission, Israel introduced the ground-breaking experiment (MARE) in collaboration with the StemRad company and the German Space Agency, which tested the ‘Astro-Rad’ protective vest on the ‘Zohar’ and ‘Helga’ mannequins – an experiment that set new standards for protection against radiation in deep space.

The current invitation is a direct result of Israel’s signing of the Artemis agreements and the strategic relations that were forged in the last decade and were renewed with the signing of the 10-year agreement (2035-2025) led by the Minister of Innovation and Science Gila Gamaliel in December 2025. The agreement guarantees Israel’s place in NASA’s supply and research chain, and allows access to the world’s most prestigious flight infrastructures on the basis of cooperation scientific (no-exchange-of-funds)”.