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Israel to host international space convention
Israeli communication satellite (Photo: Space Communications)
International Astronautic Federation to hold 2015 annual convention in Jerusalem; ‘Israel is an international power in the field,’ says Science and Technology minister
The International Astronautical Federation announced over the weekend, that Israel was chosen to host the 2015 annual Astronautic convention, during its congress meeting in Napoli, Italy.
The Israeli Space Agency’s proposal was favored by more than half of the federation member-nations, beating the Thai and Mexican proposals.
“The Israeli proposal emphasized its uniqueness and Jerusalem’s special character, as well as the government support in hosting the convention,” said a statement by the Science and Technology Ministry.
Amongst the proposal’s advocators were President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Knesset members, the Supreme Court, Science and Technology Ministry officials, the Tourism and Foreign ministries and the City of Jerusalem.
The Federation mentioned the enhanced academic space research performed in Israel and the vast government support in hosting the convention, as the main reasons for the decision.
In order to qualify as host, the Israel Space Administration had to ensure certain criteria, including a wide range of infrastructures, nearby hotels and hosting facilities, attractiveness of the hosting city and security regulations.