NASA Gears Up for Israel's Very First Space Telescope Mission 'ULTRASAT'

NASA has announced that it will launch Israel's first space telescope, called ULTRASAT, into orbit in early 2026.

ULTRASAT is slated to be launched into geostationary orbit around the Earth in early 2026 under the direction of the Israel Space Agency and Weizmann Institute of Science. NASA will participate in the mission's science program and provide the launch service.

Time Domain and Multimessenger Astrophysics

ULTRASAT will give the international scientific community another significant tool for making new observations in the budding field of time domain and multimessenger astrophysics projects, according to Mark Clampin, Director of the Astrophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

The telescope will also be able to locate and gather ultraviolet light from rapidly varying cosmic sources due to its wide field of view.

Researchers will combine data from ULTRASAT investigations of these transitory events with data from a variety of other missions, including those studying gravitational waves and particles in a field known as time domain and multimessenger astronomy.

The findings will provide insight into the operation of various space objects from supernovae and active galaxies to black holes and gravitational wave sources.

The first wide-field study of transient and variable ultraviolet (UV, 230-290nm) sources will be carried out using ULTRASAT's telescope, which will have an unprecedentedly vast field of view at 204 squared degrees.

One of the main scientific objectives of ULTRASAT is the detection of electromagnetic emission following the observation of gravitational waves (GW) from the mergers of binaries containing neutron stars.

The ability to use these events to answer fundamental physics problems, such as the formation of the heaviest atoms and the universe's expansion rate, will depend on such detections, according to the Weizmann Institute of Science.

ULTRASAT is built for a 3-year operation in a GEO orbit, however, it has enough fuel to operate for six years. It is designed to reach space before or during the initial stages of the planned full sensitivity operation of the GW detection network.

Breakthrough Project

"This is a breakthrough project that places Israel at the forefront of global research," Eli Waxman, an astrophysicist at the Weizmann Institute of Science and ULTRASAT's head researcher, said in a statement.

"Leading international bodies such as NASA and the DESY research institute have joined this Israeli-led project as partners, having recognized its scientific significance. They are investing considerable resources in the construction and launch of the satellite to become active participants in this mission with access to its scientific products. It's a science-driven partnership."

The launch of ULTRASAT, the Flight Payload Adapter, and other launch-related responsibilities will be handled by NASA in accordance with its agreement with the Israel Space Agency.

The finished observatory will be transported by the Israel Space Agency to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for launch.