Israel’s latest eye in the sky, Ofek-7, blasted off at 2:40 a.m. Monday from the Palmachim Air Force Base, south of Tel Aviv, under the watchful gaze of Professor Chaim Eshed, head of the Defense Ministry's Space Program.
The satellite was launched using a “Shavit” rocket. Within two hours, it was orbiting the earth and beginning to gather information.
Yitzchak Nissan, CEO of Israel Aircraft Industries which created the new satellite, said all systems were running smoothly after the launch.
Ofek-7 is equipped with a GPS (Global Positioning System), a central computer, gas tank and a telescope, among its other advanced components. It is expected to provide continuous intelligence and other information for the next four to six years.
The success of the launch is of special significance since OFEK-7 will provide information regarding Iran, among other targets of interest. “The satellite has advanced capabilities... which will significantly improve Israel’s operational and intelligence capabilities,” said a senior security official.
The initial success is also especially important in light of the fate of its predecessor, Ofek-6, which crashed into the Mediterranean Sea. That failure came with a price tag of $80 million and several years’ worth of anticipated intelligence information.
The October 2004 fiasco sent its designers back to the drawing board, said the security source, to examine the design fault that caused the failure. The lessons learned from that failure were used to implement changes in the design of Ofek-7, he added.
The satellite was launched using a “Shavit” rocket. Within two hours, it was orbiting the earth and beginning to gather information.
Yitzchak Nissan, CEO of Israel Aircraft Industries which created the new satellite, said all systems were running smoothly after the launch.
Ofek-7 is equipped with a GPS (Global Positioning System), a central computer, gas tank and a telescope, among its other advanced components. It is expected to provide continuous intelligence and other information for the next four to six years.
The success of the launch is of special significance since OFEK-7 will provide information regarding Iran, among other targets of interest. “The satellite has advanced capabilities... which will significantly improve Israel’s operational and intelligence capabilities,” said a senior security official.
The initial success is also especially important in light of the fate of its predecessor, Ofek-6, which crashed into the Mediterranean Sea. That failure came with a price tag of $80 million and several years’ worth of anticipated intelligence information.
The October 2004 fiasco sent its designers back to the drawing board, said the security source, to examine the design fault that caused the failure. The lessons learned from that failure were used to implement changes in the design of Ofek-7, he added.