TEL AVIV — Israel has launched a dual-use reconnaissance satellite
designed to monitor Iran's intermediate-range missile and nuclear program.
On Tuesday, Israel's Eros-B1 [Earth Remote Observation Satellite]
reconnaissance satellite was launched into orbit from the Svobodny spaceport
in Russia's Amur region. The Eros-B was launched on a Russian Start-1
rocket, and officials said communications have been established.
"According to reports from the Space Forces' command post, the
launch of the rocket, the carrying of the spacecraft and its separation
went according to plan," Russian Space Forces spokesman Alexei Kuznetsov
said. "After it was placed into a pre-calculated orbit, control over the
spacecraft Eros-B was handed over to the contractor."
The main customer of Eros has been the Israeli Defense Ministry and
intelligence community. The satellite has been manufactured by the
state-owned Israel Aircraft Industries and operated by ImageSat
International.
"We expect to receive the first images from the Eros-B satellite within
a few days, and we assume that full services to our customers will commence
within a few weeks," ImageSat chief executive officer Shimon Eckhaus said.
The successful Eros launch means Israel now operates three
reconnaissance satellites. Officials said this provides Israel with
unprecedented indigenous capability to monitor developments in the Middle
East, particularly Iran's nuclear weapons and facilities.
Offcials said the satellite would transmit its first images to IAI's
ground station in the Tel Aviv suburb of Yehud by April 29. They said Eros-B
was placed in a polar orbit, which ensured that the satellite would return
over the same target area on a daily basis.
"The most important thing in a satellite is its ability to photograph
and its resolution," Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said.
In 1996, the Defense Ministry received a study that recommended a
four-satellite constellation to achieve full monitoring of missile or
nuclear sites in the Middle East. In September 2004, Israel
failed to place into orbit the Ofeq-6, which would have provided Israel with
such a small-satellite constellation.
Eros-B1 joins two other Israeli satellites in orbit -- the Ofeq-5
military reconnaissance satellite and Eros-A1, launched in 2002 and 2000,
respectively. In 2007, Israel plans to place into orbit the multi-role
TechSar satellite.
"This kind of [satellite] information is very unique and difficult to
obtain; even allies don't provide this," [Res.] Maj. Gen. Yitzhak
Ben-Yisrael, director of the Israel Space Agency, said. "That's why Israel
decided on indigenous capability."
ImageSat said Eros-B weighs 290 kilograms and was designed to relay high
resolution imagery of 0.7 meters. The camera payload was produced by Elbit
Systems.
Satellite production and launch cost $30 million, which was raised on
the private market, executives said. They said ImageSat has offered friendly
governments access to Eros-B1.
ImageSat said Eros-B was expected to have a shelf life of between eight
and 10 years. The company said the satellite was orbiting at an altitude of
508 kilometers.
"It will take approximately 10 days to verify that all satellite
sub-systems are operating according to specifications," ImageSat said.
