Remember, the launch of this satellite failed and Israel waited until 2002 for Ofek 5
21.1.2000
The Israeli intelligence satellite "Ofek" 4 will be launched this summer on an improved satellite launcher "Shavit", manufactured by the Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI). At the same time, the Armaments Development Authority (Rafael) is developing satellites that weigh half the weight of Ofek, which can be launched from airplanes. This is what the American military weekly "Defense News" reports in an issue that will be published next week. The newspaper quotes the head of the Directorate of Weapons and Infrastructure Development (MPAAT) in the Ministry of Defense, Major General Dr. Yitzhak Ben Israel.
Amnon Barzilai, Haaretz *
The satellite launcher "Shavit" was developed by the Israel Defense Forces as part of the ballistic missile fleet of the State of Israel, the weekly reveals. It is a three-stage missile. The first two are produced by the military industry, while the third stage is produced by Rafael. The weekly cites sources in the defense establishment who stated that the next generation of the "Shavit", along with the "Ofek" 4 intelligence satellite, will serve as a springboard for future projects in the space field, some of which are in an advanced stage of development. Ben Israel said that "our strategy is to build small satellites and develop technologies in the field of microelectronics, which will provide logical and relatively cheap solutions that will meet our requirements in this field."
Ben Israel's words are in line with the policy of the defense establishment to develop a family of small satellites that will be launched on small and reliable launchers, which will provide a preferred solution to the future requirements of military intelligence.
The weekly cites government and defense industry sources, according to which Ofek 4 will be a significantly lighter satellite than Ofek 3, which weighs 225 kg. The next satellite will be equipped with improved sensors for a wide variety of missions. Like the Ofek 3, Israel's next military satellite will also be launched into space in a low orbit from east to west.
The improved version of the "Comet" satellite launcher was built so that it can withstand the Earth's gravity well, while the launch will be made towards the west and over the Mediterranean Sea and against the Earth's rotation. The weekly notes that unlike other satellite launches in the world, which are done from west to east, in order to take advantage of the effect of the earth's rotation from west to east, Israel cannot afford this, since it would require launching the satellite over hostile neighboring countries.
In the month of April, the operation of "Ofek" 3 will be five years old. This is a large period of time, two years beyond what the Ministry of Defense and the engineers of the IAA estimated the length of its operation. According to Ben Yisrael, "We exceeded the lifespan of Ofek 3 by two years, but it's no secret that we have to replace it."
The weekly reveals that at the same time as the development and production of photography satellites by the Israel Defense Forces, Rafael also demonstrated the ability to develop technology in the field of propulsion and missiles and that the defense establishment tends to develop them for future initiatives in the field of space. In this context, Rafael's CEO, Giora Shelgi, said that he has no intention of competing with TEA and that Rafael should examine in which niche it can demonstrate its excellence. He discovered that Raphael had carried out preliminary surveys for the development of small satellites weighing 100 kg, which would be launched from airplanes. {Appeared in Haaretz newspaper, 21/1/2000{
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