Israel Launches New Spy Satellite
World
Tel Aviv - Asharq Al-Awsat
SpaceX successfully launched an Israeli spy satellite into space. The EROS C-3 satellite mission was the 61st and final launch of the year for US-based spacecraft engineering corporation headed by tech billionaire Elon Musk. The advanced observation satellite from Israel-based remote sensing company ImageSat International (ISI) would be used for military intelligence and security purposes and is considered another significant step forward for Israel's place in the global space industry. According to foreign sources, the company published images of Iranian nuclear facilities or traces of destruction in Syrian sites, which Western reports attribute to Israeli strikes or follows the movements of aircraft carrying out secret missions. The company explained that the "very advanced" satellite was produced by the Israeli aerospace industry for surveillance, adding that it has amazing imaging capabilities and provides high-resolution images. The sources asserted that Israel uses satellites for 80 percent of its intelligence, and only 20 percent comes from traditional intelligence. The EROS C-3 is part of a group of spy satellites that Israel promoted to sell privately, especially after the war in Ukraine and geopolitical tensions in Southeast Asia and the Middle East increased demand for satellite services. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the Israeli imaging satellite. According to security sources in Tel Aviv, Israel officially entered the space field in 1988 by launching its first satellite, Ofek 1, from an Israeli mobile launch platform. Israel does not release information about its space activities, and any discussion about them is subject to strict security restrictions. However, some sources believe Israel entered the space and satellite programs in the late fifties and early sixties, parallel with its nuclear program's launch. Israel started the idea of launching a satellite when the Soviet Union launched the first satellite into space in 1954. Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion established in 1960 the National Committee for Space Research, and four years later, Tel Aviv asked the United States and France to help set up a satellite monitoring station. In 1966, it established the Space Research Institute, affiliated with the Israeli Space Agency in 1983, and signed an agreement with the US to participate in the Strategic Defense Initiative.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/4072991/israel-launches-new-spy-satellite%C2%A0
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