Israeli appointed VP of int’l space advocacy group

For the first time, an Israeli has been appointed as vice president of the International Astronautical Federation, a leading Paris-based space advocacy organization.

The appointment of Dr. Deganit Paikowsky, an expert on international relations and space policy, as one of the body’s 12 vice presidents was announced at the 70th International Astronautical Congress in Washington. Paikowsky will serve a three-year term.

Founded in 1951, the advocacy organization has 366 members in 68 countries, including space agencies, companies, research institutions, universities, societies and museums. The body encourages the international development of astronautics for peaceful purposes and supports the sharing of space-related scientific and technical information.

“Your selection is a spectacular personal achievement,” said Science and Technology Minister Ofir Akunis, “but also a huge accomplishment and a tremendous expression of the international community’s confidence in the State of Israel, its impact on the space industry, and the State of Israel’s achievements in stateof-the-art technology and research.”

Paikowsky has previously served as the coordinator of several national committees for formulating Israel’s national space policy, including the “President’s Team” for formulating policies, which serve as the basis for the Science Ministry’s Space Agency activities, and the committee to examine national space programs after the Amos-6 satellite exploded on takeoff in September 2016.

Today, Paikowsky is a visiting researcher at the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University and teaches at Tel Aviv University’s master’s program in Diplomacy and Security Studies.