Israel launches new reconnaissance satellite in ‘message to enemies’

Israel has successfully launched a new reconnaissance satellite into space, the Defence Ministry said on Wednesday.
Dubbed Ofek 19, the satellite was launched overnight from a test site using a Shavit launch vehicle.
It reached its orbit according to plan, had begun transmitting data, and had completed initial tests, the ministry said.
Defence Minister Israel Katz described the launch as “a message to all our enemies”.

“Wherever they are we are watching you every hour and in every situation,” he wrote on X.
Ofek 19, was developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) on behalf of the Defence Ministry.

Several defence companies and army units, including Reconnaissance Unit 9900, were involved in the project.
The new satellite complements the Ofek constellation, which has been in operation since 1988, and provides Israel with high-resolution images and radar data from the region.

Once testing is complete, control of Ofek 19 would be transferred to the military intelligence unit.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog spoke of a “moving moment,” describing Israel as a “space nation”.

With the new radar satellite, Israel aims to significantly expand its reconnaissance and early warning capabilities.

Dore Gold, from the Defence Ministry’s space programme, spoke of a “quantum leap” for the army’s operational capabilities.
During the recent war with Iran, he said, Israel had collected 12,000 satellite images of Iranian territory, noting that space is increasingly becoming a crucial area of warfare. (dpa/NAN)