1949
6th September 2004, 22:17
Launch of Israeli spy satellite fails
9/6/2004 8:15:00 PM GMT
Source: AP
A missile carrying an Israeli spy satellite intended to expand the Jewish state's surveillance over its more distant enemies, particularly Iran, fell into the Mediterranean Sea after a failed launch on Monday, officials and defense sources said.
The Defense Ministry said that "an unsuccessful attempt was made to launch into orbit a remote sensing satellite."
The failure of the launch was seen as a major setback for the Israeli military.
The Ofek-6 satellite crashed into the sea near the city of Ashdod soon after it launched at the Palmachim beach. Military officials said that no injuries were reported.
The Defense Ministry blamed a malfunction in the third stage of the Shavit rocket, which took off from an air base south of Tel Aviv.
The satellite failed to gain orbit after boosters on the satellite apparently malfunctioned, said Isaac Ben-Israel, head of the security studies program at Tel Aviv University, who attended the launch.
He added that the two-stage Shavit rocket launcher functioned properly and was not the cause of the failure.
Israel has launched several satellites, including the Amos 1 television satellite in 1996 and the Ofek 5 in 2002.
Witnesses saw a flash of light near coastal Palmahim base. The Ofek-6 was developed by a consortium led by state-owned Israel Aircraft Industries and it was damaged in the crash.
Ofek means horizon in Hebrew.
Israeli defense sources said the Ofek-6 -- the latest in Israel's locally produced line of spy satellites -- was intended to expand Israel's coverage over Iran. Israel's strategic defense systems depend on satellites to spot incoming missile threats.
"Such incidents are very expensive for all involved," a defense source said about the lost satellite.
The setback came days after Israel's missile-killer system, the Arrow II, failed to shoot down a dummy missile off the coast of California.
http://www.aljazeera.com/cgi-bin/news_service/pics/3317.jpg
A missile carrying the Israeli Ofek-6 satellite launches from Ashdod, Sept. 6, 2004.
9/6/2004 8:15:00 PM GMT
Source: AP
A missile carrying an Israeli spy satellite intended to expand the Jewish state's surveillance over its more distant enemies, particularly Iran, fell into the Mediterranean Sea after a failed launch on Monday, officials and defense sources said.
The Defense Ministry said that "an unsuccessful attempt was made to launch into orbit a remote sensing satellite."
The failure of the launch was seen as a major setback for the Israeli military.
The Ofek-6 satellite crashed into the sea near the city of Ashdod soon after it launched at the Palmachim beach. Military officials said that no injuries were reported.
The Defense Ministry blamed a malfunction in the third stage of the Shavit rocket, which took off from an air base south of Tel Aviv.
The satellite failed to gain orbit after boosters on the satellite apparently malfunctioned, said Isaac Ben-Israel, head of the security studies program at Tel Aviv University, who attended the launch.
He added that the two-stage Shavit rocket launcher functioned properly and was not the cause of the failure.
Israel has launched several satellites, including the Amos 1 television satellite in 1996 and the Ofek 5 in 2002.
Witnesses saw a flash of light near coastal Palmahim base. The Ofek-6 was developed by a consortium led by state-owned Israel Aircraft Industries and it was damaged in the crash.
Ofek means horizon in Hebrew.
Israeli defense sources said the Ofek-6 -- the latest in Israel's locally produced line of spy satellites -- was intended to expand Israel's coverage over Iran. Israel's strategic defense systems depend on satellites to spot incoming missile threats.
"Such incidents are very expensive for all involved," a defense source said about the lost satellite.
The setback came days after Israel's missile-killer system, the Arrow II, failed to shoot down a dummy missile off the coast of California.
http://www.aljazeera.com/cgi-bin/news_service/pics/3317.jpg
A missile carrying the Israeli Ofek-6 satellite launches from Ashdod, Sept. 6, 2004.