Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI)'s Dror 1 national communications satellite lifted off into space early Sunday morning from the SpaceX launch facility in Florida.
The satellite weighs 4.5 tons, has a wingspan of 17.8 meters, and carries the largest transmission and reception antennas ever built in Israel.
The Dror series of satellites is the successor of the Amos series. As a result, the Israeli government decided to establish a series of communications satellites from a new line of satellites developed by Israel Aerospace Industries. The new line will provide Israel with all its satellite communication needs.
Israel Aerospace Industries says the satellite is a leading model of its kind in terms of technology, as well as reception and transmission capabilities.