Israeli reconnaissance satellite
"Ofeq-8" redirects here. For the optical reconnaissance satellite which was known as Ofeq-8 prior to launch, see
Ofeq-9
.
TecSAR-1
, also known as
TechSAR
,
Polaris
and
Ofeq-8
,
[3]
is an Israeli
reconnaissance satellite
, equipped with a
synthetic-aperture radar
(SAR) developed by
Elta Systems
. It was successfully launched at 03:45
UTC
on 21 January 2008, by
PSLV C-10
launch vehicle
, from the
Satish Dhawan Space Centre
in India.
[4]
The TecSAR satellite is fitted with a large dish-like antenna to transmit and receive radar signals that can penetrate darkness and thickness of clouds. Built by
Israel Aerospace Industries
, TecSAR ranks among the world's most advanced space systems.
[5]
Elta Systems Ltd
cooperates with
Azerbaijan
to produce a TecSAR reconnaissance satellite system for the country.
[6]
According to
Azerbaijani
military experts, this is an indispensable system for military operations in the mountainous terrains of
Azerbaijan
.
[7]
Launch
[
edit
]
The satellite was successfully delivered into its target orbit about twenty minutes after launch. The four-stage
PSLV
rocket flew in the CA, or "Core Alone" configuration, with no strap-on
solid rocket boosters
. PSLV-C10, as the launch vehicle used to launch TecSAR-1 was designated, was the second flight of a PSLV-CA, and the twelfth overall for the PSLV series. Launch was contracted by the
Antrix Corporation
, the commercial department of the
Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO). The TecSAR-1 represents the first Israeli use of the Indian PSLV launcher. This made possible an orbit that could not be reached from Israel, with an altitude of 450-580 kilometers and inclination of 41.00°. As a result, TecSAR-1 cruises from west to east, unlike all the other surveillance satellites launched from Israel itself.
The PSLV was selected as TecSAR's launch vehicle since the
Shavit
launch vehicle that was used to launch the
Ofeq
series of satellites put constraints on possible satellite orbits. Any launch from Israeli territory must be directed westwards, towards the sea, in order to prevent the launcher's first stages (or the satellite itself, in case of a malfunction) from falling on populated areas or on foreign territory. A westward launch, that is, against the direction of the Earth's rotation, seriously restricts the weight of the satellite that the launch vehicle can carry. In the past, Israel also experienced several failures - the most recent example being the attempted
Ofeq-6
launch in March 2004. In such cases, security links and the operational experience of another partner can allow alternative launches when needed.
[8]
The launch was delayed several times for unclear reasons. At one point, it was rumoured that the launch had been cancelled completely due to pressure from the
U.S. Government
.
[9]
[10]
Indian and Israeli authorities denied this, however, citing technical problems instead.
[11]
In Israel, it was rumoured that the launch had been delayed due to Iranian pressure on the Indian government.
[12]
However, this was eventually proven to be baseless speculation.
[
citation needed
]
Orbit
[
edit
]
TecSAR-1 was placed into a
low Earth orbit
with an
apogee
of 580 km (360 mi), a
perigee
of 405 km (252 mi), and an equatorial
inclination
of 41°.
Mission
[
edit
]
It is capable of imaging with a resolution of up to 10 centimetres, through an
X-band
radar system.
[13]
The satellite's maximum resolution is believed to be around 1 metre.
[14]
TecSAR-1 is the first Israeli satellite to feature Synthetic Aperture Radar, or SAR, which will provide images day or night and under all weather conditions.
[15]
The satellite is being operated by
Israel Aerospace Industries
.
TecSAR-1 started transmitting high quality images from 1 February 2008.
[15]
The first image transmitted was that of the
Latrun
memorial monument.
[16]
Strategic significance
[
edit
]
TecSAR-1 considerably enhances Israel's intelligence-gathering capability. The satellite could potentially be the start of new strategic relations between Israel and India, and could affect the ongoing conflicts in the
Middle East
.
[17]
Israeli media discussed the strategic significance of the satellite, particularly with regard to
Iran
. It was reported that TecSAR-1's ability to produce images in adverse weather and at night would allow Israel to obtain more information about the suspected
Iranian nuclear weapons program
.
[18]
It was also reported that it would be capable of producing images of Iranian activities which previous satellites were unable to view.
[19]
[20]
Another report claimed that should Israel enter a conflict with Iran in the future, information provided by TecSAR-1 could prove critical.
[
citation needed
]
Iranian reaction
[
edit
]
A fortnight after the launch, Iranian Ambassador Seyed Mehdi Nabitzadeh announced in a press conference in
New Delhi
that he had conveyed Iran's point of view to the
Indian government
regarding the launch. He emphasized his hope that "wise and independent countries like India do not give their advanced space technologies to launch spying operations against Iran".
[21]
The Indians however stress that the launch was purely a commercial one.
[22]
[23]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"PSLV-C10"
. ISRO. Archived from
the original
on 26 September 2014
. Retrieved
8 May
2021
.
- ^
"Trajectory: TecSAR 2008-002A"
. NASA. 27 April 2021
. Retrieved
8 May
2021
.
- ^
Opall-Rome, Barbara (22 June 2010).
"Israel Launches Ofeq-9 Satellite"
. DefenseNews. Archived from
the original
on 7 September 2012
. Retrieved
8 May
2021
.
- ^
"Israel launches new satellite to spy on Iran"
.
The Guardian
. 21 January 2008
. Retrieved
8 May
2021
.
- ^
Ninan Koshy
India and Israel Eye Iran
Archived
October 12, 2009, at the
Wayback Machine
Foreign Policy in Focus
, 13 February 2008
- ^
"Azerbaijan Mum about Israeli Spy Plane, Satellite Projects"
.
eurasianet.org
. 16 August 2009
. Retrieved
10 September
2016
.
- ^
"Israel rearms Azerbaijani army"
.
panarmenian.net
. 30 June 2009
. Retrieved
10 September
2016
.
- ^
"Yiftah Shapir: Launch Of Israel's TecSAR Satellite"
.
scoop.co.nz
. Scoop News. 13 February 2008
. Retrieved
10 September
2016
.
- ^
"ISRO and the spy in orbit"
.
Deccan Herald
. 3 February 2008
. Retrieved
21 August
2008
.
[
dead link
]
- ^
"Satellite launch delayed again"
. Archived from
the original
on 6 December 2007
. Retrieved
21 January
2008
.
- ^
"The Hindu News Update Service"
. Archived from
the original
on 6 February 2008
. Retrieved
21 January
2008
.
- ^
"Iran delayed satellite launch"
.
The Jerusalem Post
. 22 January 2008
. Retrieved
8 May
2021
.
- ^
"Covert satellite for Israel launched by Indian rocket"
. Spaceflight Now. 21 January 2008
. Retrieved
10 September
2016
.
- ^
"TecSAR (SAR Technology Demonstration Satellite)"
. eoportal.org. 18 June 2012
. Retrieved
7 January
2023
.
- ^
a
b
"IAI's TecSAR Satellite Transmits First High-Quality Photos"
. The Space Fellowship. 3 February 2008
. Retrieved
5 February
2008
.
- ^
"Israeli TecSAR spy satellite beams first images"
. Aviation and Aerospace. 1 February 2008
. Retrieved
5 February
2008
.
- ^
Ninan Koshy
India and Israel Eye Iran
Archived
October 12, 2009, at the
Wayback Machine
Foreign Policy in Focus, 13 February 2008
- ^
Katz, Yaakov (21 January 2008).
"Spy satellite launched from India"
. The Jerusalem Post
. Retrieved
7 January
2023
.
- ^
Yossi Melman,
Analysis: New Israeli spy satellite sends Iran a message
Haaretz 21 January 2008 accessed 13 February 2008
- ^
India' space station launches Israel's new 'spy satellite
Archived
2008-07-04 at the
Wayback Machine
Middle East News 21 January 2008 accessed 13 February 2008
- ^
India-Israel space ties irk Iran
Archived
May 31, 2010, at the
Wayback Machine
Rediff 5 February 2008, accessed 13 February 2008
- ^
"PSLV-C10"
. Archived from
the original
on 22 October 2008
. Retrieved
27 October
2008
.
- ^
"India launches Israeli spy satellite"
.
The Tribune
. 21 January 2008
. Retrieved
7 January
2023
.
External links
[
edit
]
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Launches are separated by dots ( ? ), payloads by commas ( , ), multiple names for the same satellite by slashes ( / ).
Crewed flights
are underlined. Launch failures are marked with the † sign. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are (enclosed in parentheses).
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