Looking at it from the side, it seems simple – in the various space missions over the years, computers and various electronic products were probably used, but these cannot be the same products that are commercially produced for “ordinary” consumers. The radiation in space disrupts the operation of computers, so for space missions you need to be equipped with special equipment.
One of the companies that manufactures such equipment is the Israeli Ramon Space, which was established in 2004 and has been accredited for many years for funding from the chief scientist and projects for various space agencies. The company has developed computer systems that are resistant to the extreme conditions that prevail in outer space, and its equipment is used in space missions by entities such as NASA and the European Space Agency and is even found on a Japanese spacecraft that came very close to Mars.
CEO Avi Shabtai says that some of the existing equipment is relatively weak, and does not allow performing relatively complex tasks. For example, photography satellites cannot process the images they capture in space, but only transmit information back to Earth. Ramon Spice wants to change that with stronger computing power , and Shabtai tells about plans of various companies to set up server farms in space.
Shabtai joined the company as CEO two years ago, following a request from Dov Moran, who then considered investing and has since become chairman. Shabtai led the company to raise more than 17 million dollars to prepare it for the challenges of a large company and in a new episode of the podcast “30 minutes or less” he tells what the challenges of a company in the field of space are, how the big money andreputation of people like Elon Musk, Sir Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos is changing this industry, and what is the relative advantage of Israeli entrepreneurs who want to conquer the space.
Weekly interview with entrepreneurs, investors and managers in the high-tech world
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Interviewer: Aviv Frankel, media person and start-up.