A team from Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) has been barred from entering NASA's Cape Canaveral, Florida, and Wallop Island, Virginia, launch sites. The move is the latest twist in a battle by the US booster industry to prevent the Israelis from offering their Shavit launcher in the US commercial sector.
The Israelis claim that in 1995 US President Bill Clinton declared that Israeli firms would be allowed to compete in the US civil space market. Since then, IAI, which manufactures the Shavit launcher, and Israel Military Industries, the maker of its motors, have failed to penetrate the US market.
Some US federal agencies claim that the Clinton promise referred to Israeli-made space components and not the launcher. The issue is under debate, and US agency officials are saying that until the matter is resolved there is no reason for an official Israeli visit to the sites.
IAI has recently offered its launcher to GE Starsys for the launch of four communication satellites. The IAI bid involved launches from the NASA site at Wallops Island. IAI has also evaluated an offer to perform launches from Cape Canaveral.
The Israeli bid has caused fierce opposition from US manufacturers, and they are putting pressure on the US Commerce and State departments to forbid the implementation of the plan.
Source: Flight International