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Report Israel to send telescope into space using Indian rocket

Posted on: Thursday, 18 September 2003, 06:00 CDT

NEW DELHI, India (AP) -- Israel plans to send a telescope into space on an Indian rocket in 2005 as part of growing cooperation between the two countries, a report said Thursday.

The Israel Space Agency has already spent US$15 million on the telescope, which is to be used to map new galaxies, The Indian Express newspaper said.

Israel plans to send it into space on a rocket that India proposes to launch by the end of 2005, the newspaper quoted Israeli officials as saying.

The data from the telescope will be purely scientific and will be shared by the two countries, it said.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said during a visit to India earlier this month that Israel had decided to send a telescope into space on an Indian rocket.

The India-Israeli cooperation in space started 2 1/2 years ago when their scientists met in Austria, and expanded with an agreement signed in India last October.

K. Kasturirangan, then chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization, visited Israel earlier this year to finalize details of the launch.

India and Israel also appear to be close to finalizing a US$1 billion sale of an advanced Israeli airborne radar system to India.

During Sharon's visit, India and Israel signed six agreements on broadening educational, medical, cultural and technology ties, as well as an environmental protection pact.

They also agreed to strengthen joint efforts in fighting drug traffickers and terrorists.

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