Israeli Space Firm Wins NASA Satellite Imagery Deal as Mars and Recovery Missions Advance

Israeli company ISI, which specializes in high-resolution satellite imaging, has signed a framework agreement with NASA to provide imagery from its EROS and RUNNER satellite constellations. The deal runs for about two and a half years, until November 2028, and ISI is one of 14 suppliers selected by the U.S. space agency to broaden the data available to researchers, government agencies and decision-makers. The combined ceiling for all 14 contracts is $476 million over the period, but the agreement does not guarantee purchases beyond a minimum of $500, and NASA is not required to use the full budget.

ISI said the selection reflects confidence in its technology, image quality and experience serving government and institutional clients worldwide. CEO Noam Semel said the deal strengthens ISI’s position as a leading international provider of space-based intelligence and imaging solutions and expands its exposure to the U.S. market. He added that combining the EROS and RUNNER satellite systems, along with continued investment in advanced technologies and a broader product line, should help the company meet evolving customer needs and pursue additional business opportunities in the global space market.

The article also reports new findings from NASA’s Perseverance rover on Mars. The rover identified two large clusters of organic molecules in rocks it sampled at the edge of Jezero Crater, where an ancient lake and river system once existed. Using Raman spectroscopy, the rover detected hundreds of relatively large carbon compounds, or macromolecular carbon, in two rocks with different dominant mineral compositions. Scientists said the discovery suggests organic material may have been widespread on Mars billions of years ago, but they stressed it does not prove life, since non-biological processes could also have formed the compounds. Perseverance has been collecting samples for a future return mission, but NASA canceled that plan because of cost and has suggested handing it to private companies.

NASA is also preparing a rescue attempt for the Swift space telescope, launched in 2004 to study gamma-ray bursts. Swift was designed for two years but has operated for more than 20, and has been steadily losing altitude from about 600 kilometers to under 400 kilometers. Because it has no propulsion system, NASA plans to launch a special mission on Saturday, June 27, from the Marshall Islands, using Katalyst’s new Link spacecraft on a Pegasus rocket launched from an aircraft. If successful, Link will rendezvous with Swift, grasp it with three robotic arms, and raise it back to its original orbit.

Finally, SpaceX launched its new Starfall capsule for a first test. The disk-shaped vehicle, about three meters wide and 75 centimeters high, is designed to return up to 1,000 kilograms of cargo from space, mainly scientific experiments and other equipment, not people. It uses maneuvering thrusters, a carbon-based heat shield, parachutes, and is intended to land at sea, with recovery planned in the Pacific off Southern California and northern Mexico. SpaceX did not say how long the capsule will remain in orbit or when the first return attempt will take place.