Ofek 19 satellite transmitting data after successful launch, Israel says

The project is a collaboration between the Ministry of Defense, the IDF and IAI, with support from defense contractors Rafael and Tomer, which produced the rocket engines.

By Pesach Benson, TPS

Israel’s newly launched Ofek 19 radar observation satellite has successfully entered orbit, transmitted data, and completed a series of initial tests, the Defense Ministry announced on Wednesday morning.

Engineers from the Defense Ministry’s Space Directorate and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) will continue evaluations before Ofek 19 becomes fully operational.

Once active, the satellite will be handed over to Unit 9900, the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) visual intelligence division.

President Isaac Herzog, who attended the Tuesday night launch at Palmachim Air Base, hailed the achievement as evidence of Israel’s growing role in space.

“I was thrilled to see the launch of the ‘Ofek 19’ satellite made in Israel. It is exciting to see the fantastic capabilities of Israeli industries,” Herzog said.

“We are not just a startup nation, we are a space nation. Israel must be in space, where the future of humanity lies, for this there are extremely important strategic capabilities.”

Ofek 19 rode into space on a Shavit satellite launching rocket.

Ofek 19 is the latest in a series of Israeli observation satellites first launched in 1988.

The project is a collaboration between the Ministry of Defense, the IDF and IAI, with support from defense contractors Rafael and Tomer, which produced the rocket engines.

Defense Minister Israel Katz praised the satellite as both a technological and strategic milestone.

“This is a moment of great national pride—for the people of Israel and for all those who work day and night to maintain our security and our future,” Katz said.

“The launch of the ‘Ofek 19’ satellite into space constitutes another pillar of the State of Israel’s power and expresses the advanced capabilities of the Ministry of Defense, the IDF, and Israel Aerospace Industries.”

With Ofek 19, Israel expands its observation capabilities, which officials say allow the country to maintain its intelligence edge and monitor regional developments in real time.

Danny Gold, head of the Defense Ministry’s Research and Development Directorate, noted that satellites provided more than 12,000 images of Iranian territory during the June war with Iran.

“Space is a dimension of warfare whose centrality will increase in the coming years,” Gold said.