About Eytan

Eytan Stibbe is a social impact investor and Israeli philanthropist. He has spent years working to advance marginalized populations in developing countries. Eytan was a fighter jet pilot and flight instructor in the Israeli Air Force with the rank of colonel. He is soon going to be flying to the International Space Station on a private flight. Eytan Stibbe and Ilan Ramon were close friends already during their military service in the Air Force. When Ramon was practicing for his upcoming space mission, Stibbe visited Ilan and his family in Houston and he even visited the NASA training facilities.

This exposed Stibbe to space exploration, where he realized not only its scientific importance, but also the degree of curiosity this field aroused in each person regardless of their age. Ilan Ramon never came back from his space mission and the ties between the two families strengthened over time. In the years that have passed since then, Stibbe has kept track of the progress being made in space exploration, industry and technology. The moment it became possible to fly privately (rather than through the government space agencies), Eytan jumped on the opportunity to make a dream come true. As an envoy of the Ramon Foundation, on November 16, 2020 it was announced that Eytan Stibbe was going to be Israel’s second astronaut in space.

About The Mission

The Ramon Foundation and the Israel Space Agency in the Ministry of Innovation Science and Technology are sending the second Israeli, EYTAN STIBBE, into space, on a historic mission. The purpose of the ‘rakia’ mission is to inspire the younger generation while advancing and expanding the Israel space industry.

At the beginning of the year 2022, a mission is anticipated to leave for the International Space Station; a mission in which Israel will have a significant presence, capable of contributing much to development of the space industry and to improving life on earth. AX1, an enterprise initiated and led by the Axion Space company, the first mission to the International Space Station – subject to approval by NASA, is to be manned entirely by private astronauts. As such, it brings tidings of a revolution in manned flights to space, a revolution that will facilitate generating substantial progress in the field. The three astronauts leading the mission include the Israeli businessman, previously a combat pilot – Eytan Stibbe. Stibbe, a close friend of the Ramon family, will be the second Israeli in space, and the first in the international space station.

The mission, headed in Israel by the Ramon Foundation in conjunction with the Israel Space Agency in the Ministry of Science and Technology, will facilitate promotion of a variety of topics which will contribute enormously to Israeli society and to all of humankind. The ‘rakia’ mission serves as an example of extraordinary collaboration between diverse factors, and it manifests values of peace, innovation and social responsibility. Connecting the younger generation in Israel and around the globe to these values, combining the dreams which the mission embodies, and proving that really anything is possible – these are topics that play a central part in the Ramon Foundation’s vision. The mission will enable Israeli entrepreneurs and researchers to advance innovative ideas and will provide a rare opportunity for them to test their enterprises in a unique study environment, thereby contributing to international and Israeli research industries. In addition, the mission will make diversified educational activities accessible, to benefit all Israeli children. It will in fact, be the first time that Israeli children and youth will have access to the International Space Station, in HEBREW.

In addition, there will be a series of new Israeli art works under sub-gravity conditions. Moreover, this mission is part of the Israel Space Agency in the Ministry of Innovation Science and Technology’s extensive strategy to turn Israel into a world class space superpower, and to generate a local Eco-system of approximately 350 companies in the field of Civil Space, providing a livelihood to around 25 thousand employees, and being responsible for about 0.5 billion dollars in annual private investments in Israeli industry. We invite you to join us on this exciting journey.