OFEQ 9 - the New Israeli Spy Satellite

The Israeli spy satellite Ofeq 9 was launched yesterday, (June 22nd 2010) from the Palmachim Air Force Base on Israel's Mediterranean coast. The new satellite is the sixth satellite in the Ofeq (Horizon in Hebrew) family of satellites, which began with the launch of the Ofeq 3 in 1995.

Ofeq 9 uses the OpSat 2000 bus employed with the Ofeq 5 and Ofeq 7 satellites. It carries a new High-resolution camera payload developed by Elbit Systems EL-OP. The payload is believed to be the latest version of the 'Neptune' camera, developed by ELOP. Positioned at an altitude of 600 kilometers, Neptune's sensors record images panchromatic resolution 0.7 meter or less.