In the video: IAI sold a spy satellite to Singapore for about 200 million dollars/IAI
The new satellite.
50 cm resolution also in color/Imagsat photos
After launching last year the first observation satellite it developed with an American company, ImageSat is advancing to the next stage: the Maor Yehuda satellite company, which is controlled by the Fimi Foundation, will develop and build together with two companies from Singapore a larger and more expensive observation satellite, with photography capabilities even in difficult lighting conditions, including Video shooting.
The Knight satellite will be built simultaneously in Israel and Singapore by Imjasat and by the companies ST Engineering Satellite System and ST Engineering Geo-Insights from Singapore.
The satellite, which is scheduled for launch in 2027, will display military-level observation capabilities, and capabilities that the observation satellites produced by the Aerospace Industry do not yet have.
ImageSat was established in 1997 in an attempt to commercialize the technologies of the Horizon satellites, the spy satellites produced by the Aerospace Industry for the Ministry of Defense.
The success was limited, and after only two satellites were launched, Eros A and Eros B, control of the company was acquired by Yishai Davidi's Fimi Fund, when IAI's holdings were diluted to 31%.
Noam Segal, CEO of ImageSat (left) with Chairman of ImageSat Gilon Beck (in the middle) and CEO of the Stock Exchange CEO Itai Ben Zeev/Kobe Wolff
The company is traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange according to a market value of NIS 811 million, and its stock recorded a 5% increase today (Thursday) following the announcement of the new satellite.
The company sells satellite images and their processing to civilian customers and countries, and is a supplier to the Ministry of Defense.
The Aerospace Industry serves as a shareholder, supplier and competitor to ImageSat.
In 2023, the Israel Defense Forces delivered a record number of three observation satellites, one to the Ministry of Defense, one to Singapore, and one to Imagesat, the advanced Eros C.
But at the same time, Imagesat launched its first satellite, which it built with the help of an American company, the Runner, weighing 90 kg only, for the Chilean government.
Now it announces a larger and more advanced satellite: Abir, which will weigh 280 kg, will have a resolution of 50 cm in normal photography and 1.5 meters in photography in limited lighting conditions using infrared (SWIR), so that it can also photograph at night, through Clouds of smoke and fog.
It will also be able to photograph in color and produce video clips.
As with the Runner satellite, which was launched in June 2023, it is expected that the company will develop the satellite's radar and its command and control software. The cost of the satellite, which will be shared between the partners, was not revealed but is estimated at tens of millions of dollars.
Knight satellite of Imagesat ISI/Imagesat
In a conversation with Walla, CEO Noam Segal says, "This is one of the first satellites in the world with this photography capability.
There is only one such American satellite, and it is much larger and has a much poorer resolution.
The new space age allows us to develop some of the capabilities ourselves, acquire others and provide a satellite with capabilities
that until recently only countries, even superpowers, had."
"We are going one step further and Knight will also have elements of independent decision making beyond image processing capability.
If he opens a camera for planned photography, processes the first images and detects fog above the ground, he will know on his own to switch to the infrared camera.
In the future it will also have ChatGPT capability and we will know how to communicate with it in a different way."
A satellite like Eros C costs about 200 million dollars. How much is Knight cheaper?
"We do not disclose the price of the satellite, but it will be built according to the new space rules, which allow more satellites to be built for less money .
Instead of investing in one expensive satellite with many redundancies and backups, the goal is to launch several satellites at the same price, which will be the backup for each other.
That's how Elon Musk built the huge Starlink communications satellite network."
Are you changing from a satellite image provider to a satellite manufacturer?
"A boutique manufacturer.
We will have the cost of the satellite program, and will only produce unique components.
Power supplies and navigation systems can be purchased on the free market.
We are building laboratories and clean rooms that will allow us to build more systems in Israel.
My dream is that the state will encourage this field, which is developing very much in the world, and we will be able to build a satellite industry in the south, in Yeruham."
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