Israel will have only two communications satellites in space in 2017, but it needs to maintain four satellites in orbit, a new report by the Knesset Subcommittee on Space said. The panel, reporting to the Knesset Science and Technology Committee, was set up following the loss of the Amos-5 and Amos-6 communications satellites. Communications with Amos-5 was lost in November 2015, while Amos-6 was destroyed in Sept. 1 in an explosion during a routine test at Cape Canaveral Airbase in Florida. The report suggested formulating policy defining Israel's communication satellite program as a national priority. Science, Technology and Space Minister Ofir Akunis said he would recommend the government adopt the report's findings. "Israel is not developing a new communication satellite at this point, and there is an actual concern that in case of emergency, this could seriously impede communications, the economy and the public's daily routine," he said.
