Ofeq, also spelled Offek or Ofek ( he, אופק, ''lit.'' Horizon) is the designation of a series of

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

reconnaissance satellite A reconnaissance satellite or intelligence satellite (commonly, although unofficially, referred to as a spy satellite) is an Earth observation satellite or communications satellite deployed for military or intelligence applications. The ...

s first launched in 1988. Most Ofeq satellites have been carried on top of Shavit 2 launch vehicles from

Palmachim Airbase The Palmachim Airbase ( he, בָּסִיס חֵיל-הַאֲוִויר פַּלְמַחִים) is an Israeli military facility and spaceport located near the cities of Rishon LeZion and Yavne on the Mediterranean coast. It is named after nearby ...

in Israel, on the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

coast. The

low Earth orbit A low Earth orbit (LEO) is an orbit around Earth with a period of 128 minutes or less (making at least 11.25 orbits per day) and an eccentricity less than 0.25. Most of the artificial objects in outer space are in LEO, with an altitude never mor ...

satellites complete one

Earth orbit Earth orbits the Sun at an average distance of 149.60 million km (92.96 million mi) in a counterclockwise direction as viewed from above the Northern Hemisphere. One complete orbit takes days (1 sidereal year), during which time Earth ...

every 90 minutes. The satellite launches made

the eighth nation to gain an indigenous launch capability. Both the satellites and the launchers were designed and manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) with

Elbit Systems Elbit Systems Ltd. is an Israel-based international defense electronics company engaged in a wide range of programs throughout the world. The company, which includes Elbit Systems and its subsidiaries, operates in the areas of aerospace, land ...

' El-Op division supplying the optical payload.

Description

While exact technical details and capabilities are classified, it is assumed that the Ofeq satellites have an effective operational lifespan of 1–3 years and

ultraviolet Ultraviolet (UV) is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelength from 10 nanometer, nm (with a corresponding frequency around 30 Hertz, PHz) to 400 nm (750 Hertz, THz), shorter than that of visible light, but longer than ...

and

visible Visibility, in meteorology, is a measure of the distance at which an object or light can be seen. Visibility may also refer to: * A measure of turbidity in water quality control * Interferometric visibility, which quantifies interference contrast ...

imaging sensors (except Ofeq-8 and -10 which utilize

synthetic-aperture radar Synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) is a form of radar that is used to create two-dimensional images or three-dimensional reconstructions of objects, such as landscapes. SAR uses the motion of the radar antenna over a target region to provide fine ...

(SAR) for all-weather and nighttime reconnaissance). Some reports place the imaging resolution at 80 cm for Ofeq-5. Most satellites are launched eastward to gain a boost from the Earth's rotational speed. However, Ofeq satellites are launched westward (in retrograde orbits) over the Mediterranean to avoid flying over, and dropping spent rocket stages over, populated land areas. Other Israeli satellites (such as the AMOS series) are launched from locations in other countries.

Orbital characteristics

Ofeq's east-to-west orbit of 143.0°

orbital inclination Orbital inclination measures the tilt of an object's orbit around a celestial body. It is expressed as the angle between a reference plane and the orbital plane or axis of direction of the orbiting object. For a satellite orbiting the Earth ...

is phased to give good daylight coverage of the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

. Some

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

and Russian observation satellites have near-polar orbits and also make between 14 and 16 orbits per day, but pass over Israel on fewer orbits. Spacecraft need to reach roughly 27,000 km/h to achieve low Earth orbit. At 31.88°N, the latitude of Palmachim Airbase, where the angular velocity of the Earth is around 1420 km/h to the east, westward launched Ofeq satellites must use more fuel to counter starting going 1420 km/h the opposite direction. Many other observation satellites with prograde orbits have the same maximum latitude and cover the same areas of the Earth. However the retrograde orbit of Ofeq increases the relative speed to the surface of the Earth and thusly increases the average number of times they pass over Israel on each revolution. Ofeq satellites make a half-dozen or so daylight passes per day over Israel and the surrounding countries, whereas non-Israeli observation satellites in sun-synchronous orbits get one or two passes per day from their lower inclination orbits. Since its launch in 2002, Ofeq-5's orbital inclination of 143.4 has been the most-inclined orbit of all of Earth's artificial satellites.

Launch history

* Ofeq-1, was launched on 19 September 1988, possessed a weight of 155 kg and circled the

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

on an orbit with a

perigee An apsis (; ) is the farthest or nearest point in the orbit of a planetary body about its primary body. For example, the apsides of the Earth are called the aphelion and perihelion. General description There are two apsides in any ellip ...

of 249 km and an

apogee An apsis (; ) is the farthest or nearest point in the orbit of a planetary body about its primary body. For example, the apsides of the Earth are called the aphelion and perihelion. General description There are two apsides in any ellip ...

of 1149 km on a course bent around 142.9°. It accomplished mainly

solar cells A solar cell, or photovoltaic cell, is an electronic device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect, which is a physics, physical and Chemical substance, chemical phenomenon.radio transmission tests. * Ofeq-2, was launched on 23 April 1990, on a course with a perigee of 149 km and an apogee of 251 km, bent around 143.2°. It also accomplished

communication Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer to the message communicated through such transmissions or the field of inquir ...

tests. * Ofeq-3, the launch of Ofeq-3 was initially postponed from 15 September 1994 to 5 April 1995, was launched on 5 April 1995, was the first operational Israeli satellite with

reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...

(

photography Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employed ...

) capabilities. It weighed 225 kg and had a perigee of 369 km and was launched on a new version of Shavit 2. * Ofeq-4, was launched on 22 January 1998, did not achieve Earth orbit due to a launcher failure and was lost. * Ofeq-5, was launched on 28 May 2002. The 300 kg Ofeq-5 orbited the Earth on a course with a perigee of 262 km and an apogee of 774 km, bent around 143.5°. During the course of its mission, its perigee was raised to 369 km and its apogee was lowered to 771 kilometers, in an attempt to prolong the satellite's lifespan. Some observers believe that the 300 kg weight of the satellite, combined with the additional propulsive requirements of the retrograde orbit, constitute a de facto demonstration of the Shavit's

Intercontinental ballistic missile An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with a range greater than , primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery (delivering one or more thermonuclear warheads). Conventional, chemical, and biological weapons c ...

(ICBM) potential. * Ofeq-6, was launched on 6 September 2004, encountered another launcher failure, failed to achieve low Earth orbit and crashed to the sea. The launcher failure was due to the third stage of the Shavit 2 launcher. * Ofeq-7 was successfully launched on 11 June 2007 using the Shavit 2 launcher. *

TecSAR TecSAR-1, also known as TechSAR, Polaris and Ofeq-8, 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- ...

(Ofeq-8) designation is used for the synthetic-aperture radar satellite launched by an

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

launch vehicle on 21 January 2008. *

Ofeq-9 Ofeq-9, also known as Ofek 9 ("Horizon in Hebrew), is part of the Ofeq family of reconnaissance satellites designed and built by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) for the Israeli Ministry of Defense. Launch It was launched on 22 June 2010, a ...

was successfully launched on 22 June 2010 from Palmachim Air Base using the upgraded Shavit 2 launcher. *

Ofeq-10 Ofeq-10, also known as Ofek-10 (Horizon in Hebrew), is part of the Ofeq family of reconnaissance satellites designed and built by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) for the Israeli Ministry of Defense. Satellite description Ofek-10 is an upgr ...

, providing high-resolution

, was successfully launched on 9 April 2014 from Palmachim Airbase using the upgraded Shavit 2 launcher. *

Ofeq-11 Ofeq-11, also known as Ofek 11 (Horizon in Hebrew), is part of the Ofeq family of reconnaissance satellites designed and built by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) for the Ministry of Defense (Israel), Israeli Ministry of Defense. Launch Ofe ...

was successfully launched on 13 September 2016 from Palmachim Airbase using the upgraded Shavit 2 launcher. *

Ofeq-16 Ofek-16, also known as Ofeq-16, is an Israeli electro-optical reconnaissance satellite. It is part of the Ofeq family, designed and built by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) for the Israeli Ministry of Defence. The Space Administration in th ...

was successfully launched on 6 July 2020 from Palmachim Airbase using the upgraded Shavit 2 launcher. Israel is not known to have attempted any satellite launches between Ofeq-11 and -16. It is not clear whether the Ofeq-12 through -15 designations have been skipped, or applied to other spacecraft.

References

External links

IAI's space systems website

{{Rest of the World Reconnaissance Satellites Reconnaissance satellites of Israel Earth observation satellites of Israel IAI satellites First artificial satellites of a country Military equipment introduced in the 1980s