Israel has successfully launched a new reconnaissance satellite into space, the Defence Ministry announced on Wednesday.
Dubbed Ofek 19, the satellite was launched overnight from a test site using a Shavit launch vehicle. It reached its orbit as planned, has begun transmitting data, and completed initial tests.
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) for the Defence Ministry, with contributions from several defence companies and army units, including Reconnaissance Unit 9900.
The new satellite complements the Ofek constellation, operational since 1988, providing Israel with high-resolution images and radar data from the region. Control will be transferred to the military intelligence unit after testing.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog called the launch “a moving moment,” describing Israel as a “space nation.”
Dore Gold, from the Defence Ministry’s space programme, said the satellite represents a “quantum leap” for the army’s operational capabilities. During the recent conflict with Iran, Israel collected 12,000 satellite images of Iranian territory, highlighting the growing importance of space in modern warfare.
(NAN)