OFEQ 3
OFEQ 3 was launched on April 15th 1995 by the Shavit improved launcher from the Palamachim site . It entered a LEO of 368*729km with a declination 37 deg. , it orbits earth once every 90 minutes .
OFEQ 3 is a 2nd generation satellite based on the OFEQ 1 Satellite , it has an advanced navigation system and its projected life span was 2 years currently its still in orbit .
The payload that OFEQ 3 carried wasn't clear at first and the official version was that it is a test satellite like its predecessor.
The truth is that it is a spy satellite carrying the ERMS CCD with a resolution of up to 2 meters , thus Israel has an operational spy satellite although since it is a LEO satellite it isn't always in contact with Israel . OFEQ 3 is the proto type for the EROS Satellite net which will provide 24 hour contact with Israel. was the first operational Israeli satellite with reconnaissance (photography) capabilities. It weighed 225 kg and had a perigee of 369 km and was launched on a new version of Shavit
Payload Weight 36 kg
Satellite Weight 189 kg
Total Weight 225 kg
Height 2.3 meters
Diameter Base 1.2 meters
Diameter Top 0.7 meters
Solar panels size 3.6 squared meters
Power consumption 180 Watts
Telemetry data rate 15 Kbit/second
Telecommand data rate 5 Kbits/second
Attitude control accuracy 0.01 Degrees
OFEQ 5
was launched 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 degrees. During the course of its mission, its perigee was raised to 369 km and its apogee was lowered on 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 ICBM potential.
Ofeq 5's camera with 70 cm resolution offered much improved quality over Ofeq 3:
IKONOS is US commercial satellite which weights 726 kg and has resolution of 1 m.
OFEQ 7 was launched by a Shavit space launch vehicle on June 11, 2007. Equipped with advanced technology and a series of new enhancements to provide improved imagery, it is placed into a elliptical orbit of 300x600 kilometers. Three days after its launch, IAI/MBT Space Division received the first images taken by the satellite. The Ofek 7 is a follow-on spacecraft to Ofek 5 that was placed into orbit in 2002.
OFEQ 9 was successfully launched on June 22, 2010 from Palmachim Air Base.
