Israel a Blessing to the Nations

Landing on the Moon

Through its Lunar X contest, Google is offering a total of $30 million in prizes in a competition to launch a robotic spacecraft and land it on the Moon, where it must send back special images and other data.

The Israeli company SpacelL is confident that its 103 kilogram lunar lander will beat out the competition and take first place.

Pointing to the future, company co-founder Yariv Bash suggests that the new technology generated by the competition could eventually make space exploration available to all. “We are showing the way in Israel and around the world for minimum-expense space exploration.” says Bash.

Wheelchairs of Hope

Two former employees of the Israeli plastics company Keter have come up with the idea of producing lightweight plastic wheelchairs. Already adept at manufacturing plastic chairs, these entrepreneurs simply transferred this technology to making a similar, lightweight wheelchair that allows disabled children in third world countries to get to school.

The first prototype lightweight wheelchair was created in June 2013 using a 3D printer. This was after more than a year of refinements with input from the ALYN Rehabilitation Hospital for children in Jerusalem, among others. The challenge to developers has been to create a chair that will appeal to the young and has a reasonable price; it also must be sturdy enough to run on any terrain and simple enough for a five-year-old to maneuver.

Jordan to buy Gas from Israel

Israel has signed a $500 million agreement to supply gas from the offshore Tamar gas field to Jordan over 15 years, beginning in 2016. The agreement is between the principal Israeli partner, Noble Energy Inc., and the Jordanian companies Arab Potash and Jordan Bromine.

A pipeline to Turkey could eventually open up the entire European market.

Israel Signs Agricultural Accord with Nigeria

Israeli Minister of Agriculture Yair Shamir and his Nigerian counterpart Akinwumi Adesina have signed a joint declaration to increase cooperation between the two countries in the area of agriculture. The agreement aims to bolster food supplies through increased land cultivation, improved water efficiency and improvements in crop quality, as well as fostering education for farmers and others in the agricultural sector.

Watch video: Israel: A Nation of Innovation