Pledging "a sizeable amount of money," Olmert said, "We are very serious about our participation in this program. It is a very important program for us and we want to play a major role here and we understand that everyone who wants to play a major role has also to invest in a major way and we're going to do it."

He said the exact amount of the Israeli contribution would be announced "very soon, perhaps within two weeks."

The system, scheduled to go into operation in 2008, will require the launching of 30 satellites.

SPACE.WIRE