By United with Israel Staff
Three months after
Israel successfully launched the Ofek 16 satellite into space, Israel’s Space
Administration officially transferred operational control of the cutting-edge
spacecraft to the nation’s military.
Ofek 16 helps Israel
keep an eye on archenemy Iran, among other regional threats.
Just one week after the
spy satellite’s launch, the Ministry of Defense turned on its super-sensitive
observation camera and the first pictures were downloaded.
Israel is known as a
world leader in advanced optics and the Ofek 16 is equipped with a super
high-quality camera developed and manufactured in Israel by Elbit Systems. The
in-orbit shakedown testing was finished recently, after which control of the
operational satellite was transferred to the IDF’s Intelligence Corps.
“The significant
advantage of Ofek is a route that allows greater repetition over Iran … that
allows a high-frequency of photography, several times a day, which commercial
satellites almost do not allow,” tweeted Dan Harel, an Israeli expert in remote
sensing.
Ofek 16 gives the IDF
unprecedented access to data about Iran, whose political and military leaders
have repeated for years that their goal is the “total annihilation of Israel.”
Not only does the satellite
give Israel’s military intelligence agents high resolution photos of Iranian
sites including those associated with its illegal military nuclear weapons
program, it also provides detailed views of the activities of terror groups
supported by Iran around the region in Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq.
On Sunday, officials
held a small ceremony handing the “keys” of the satellite to the IDF’s 9900
Intelligence Unit.
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