On This Day: Launching Israel's First Satellite

In the early 1970s, Israel began integrating Israeli scientists into space research. This led to the establishment of the Israel Space Agency, which started planning significant projects in the field of space exploration.

Israel's space activities reached their peak on the 8th of Tishrei, 1988, with the launch of "Ofek 1"—the first satellite in the "Ofek" series—using the Shavit launcher. This satellite, also called "Oz 1," was intended for experiments and demonstration of technologies. Starting with the third satellite in the series, "Ofek 3," the satellites began capturing images and collecting data for military purposes.

Due to Israel's geographical position, Ofek satellites are the only ones in the world launched westward—against the Earth's rotation, although this is more complex both technically and economically. This launch method prevents the possibility of a launch failure resulting in the satellite crashing into populated areas or falling into enemy hands.

The Ofek 1 satellite was launched from the Palmachim base and operated in space for 118 days.