Israel successfully launches Ofek 7 spy satellite
Jun. 11, 2007 5:21 | Updated Jun. 11, 2007 7:58
In the face of Iran's race to obtain nuclear weapons and predictions that war
with Syria is on the horizon, Israel strengthened its foothold in space
pre-dawn Monday and successfully launched a spy satellite, which defense
officials said granted the IDF unprecedented operational capabilities. The
satellite, called Ofek 7, was launched from the Palmahim Air Force Base and
successfully reached orbit. Officials said however that it would take several
days to test the satellite's systems before it would be declared operational.
The satellite was launched atop a Shavit missile. The successful launch
came as a great relief for the defense establishment and particularly Israel
Aerospace Industries, lead contractor of the Ofek project. In September 2004,
Israel failed to successfully launch the Ofek 6, which in its third boost stage
plummeted to the sea. At the time, despite the disappointment, the Defense
Ministry continued ahead with its development of the Ofek 7.
Weighing 300 kilograms, the Ofek 7 will orbit earth from up to 600 kilometers
in space. It has a four-year lifespan and will communicate its images via
downlink with an IAI-run ground station. Defense officials said that the
launching of the satellite was part of the MOD's multi-year work plan but was
also in line with the defense establishment's "operational needs." Israel has
traditionally launched a new satellite once every two-and-a-half years staring
in the late 1980s. While refusing to divulge the performance levels of the
new satellite, defense officials said that it was by far the most advanced
satellite Israel has launched into space. Officials said that it was superior
to the Eros B satellite - launched in April 2006 - which has the ability to
spot images on the ground as small as 70 centimeters. The officials refused to
divulge what made it superior "With this launch we have improved Israel's
operational capabilities by dozens of percent," said Brig.-Gen.
Haim Eshet, director of Space Programming at the MOD's Research and
Development Directorate (MAFAT). "This is due to the improvements made to the
satellite and also since we now have better coverage in the skies." In
addition to the Eros B - a civilian-owned satellite used by the MOD on a
contract basis - Israel currently operates the Ofek 5 spy satellite,
successfully launched in May 2002. It was supposed to have had a four-year
life span, but its producers boast that it is still functioning and continues
to produce high-resolution pictures from space. Its telescopic camera was
designed by Elbit Systems and has variable direction capability. The Ofek 5
satellite is in an elliptical orbit that reportedly takes it over Iran, Iraq,
and Syria once every 90 minutes.
By YAAKOV KATZ
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