How Israel Launches Satellites
Due to geography and politics, Israel has a tricky time launching satellites.
Slow and Sensitive
Normally a satellite is launched eastward, taking advantage of the earth’s rotation to add speed. But an eastward launch from Israel would potentially crash an errant satellite in hostile territory. So, the Israel Space Agency (ISA) launches satellites inefficiently westward. This slows the launches and limits the payload size. So, Israel launches small satellites.
The Israeli launch vehicle is a modified solid-fuel ballistic missile, called Shavit. Israel used the Shavit to launch its first satellite, Ofeq 1, in 1988.
Launched From Elsewhere
To avoid the limitations and hazards of launching from Israel, ISA has made deals to have Israeli satellites launched from other countries. ISA has contracted with Russia, India and Europe to handle some launches.
