TecSAR-1, also known as TechSAR, Polaris and Ofeq-8, is an Israeli reconnaissance satellite, equipped with a synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) developed by Elta Systems. It was successfully launched at 03:45 UTC on 21 January 2008, by PSLV C-10 launch vehicle, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in India. The TecSAR satellite is fitted with a large dish-like antenna to transmit and receive radar signals that can penetrate darkness and thickness of clouds. Built by

Israel Aerospace Industries Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI; ), is Israel's major aerospace and aviation manufacturer, producing aerial and astronautic systems for both military and civilian usage. It has 14,000 employees as of 2021. IAI is state-owned by the government ...

, TecSAR ranks among the world's most advanced space systems. Elta Systems Ltd cooperates with

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...

to produce a TecSAR reconnaissance satellite system for the country. According to Azerbaijani military experts, this is an indispensable system for military operations in the mountainous terrains of

Launch

The satellite was successfully delivered into its target orbit about twenty minutes after launch. The four-stage PSLV rocket flew in the CA, or "Core Alone" configuration, with no strap-on solid rocket boosters. PSLV-C10, as the launch vehicle used to launch TecSAR-1 was designated, was the second flight of a PSLV-CA, and the twelfth overall for the PSLV series. Launch was contracted by the Antrix Corporation, the commercial department of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The TecSAR-1 represents the first Israeli use of the Indian PSLV launcher. This made possible an orbit that could not be reached from Israel, with an altitude of 450-580 kilometers and inclination of 41.00°. As a result, TecSAR-1 cruises from west to east, unlike all the other surveillance satellites launched from Israel itself. The PSLV was selected as TecSAR's launch vehicle since the Shavit launch vehicle that was used to launch the

Ofeq Ofeq, also spelled Offek or Ofek (, ''lit.'' Horizon) is the designation of a series of Israeli reconnaissance satellites first launched in 1988. Most Ofeq satellites have been carried on top of Shavit launch vehicles from Palmachim Airbase i ...

series of satellites put constraints on possible satellite orbits. Any launch from Israeli territory must be directed westwards, towards the sea, in order to prevent the launcher's first stages (or the satellite itself, in case of a malfunction) from falling on populated areas or on foreign territory. A westward launch, that is, against the direction of the Earth's rotation, seriously restricts the weight of the satellite that the launch vehicle can carry. In the past, Israel also experienced several failures - the most recent example being the attempted Ofeq-6 launch in March 2004. In such cases, security links and the operational experience of another partner can allow alternative launches when needed. The launch was delayed several times for unclear reasons. At one point, it was rumoured that the launch had been cancelled completely due to pressure from the U.S. Government. Indian and Israeli authorities denied this, however, citing technical problems instead. In Israel, it was rumoured that the launch had been delayed due to Iranian pressure on the Indian government. However, this was eventually proven to be baseless speculation.

Orbit

TecSAR-1 was placed into a

low Earth orbit A low Earth orbit (LEO) is an geocentric orbit, orbit around Earth with a orbital period, period of 128 minutes or less (making at least 11.25 orbits per day) and an orbital eccentricity, eccentricity less than 0.25. Most of the artificial object ...

with an apogee of , a perigee of , and an equatorial inclination of 41°.

Mission

It is capable of imaging with a resolution of up to 10 centimeters through IAI's Elta System's ELM-2070 an

X-band The X band is the designation for a band of frequency, frequencies in the microwave radio region of the electromagnetic spectrum. In some cases, such as in communication engineering, the frequency range of the X band is set at approximately 7.0� ...

SAR radar system. The satellite's maximum resolution is believed to be around 1 metre. TecSAR-1 is the first Israeli satellite to feature Synthetic Aperture Radar, or SAR, which will provide images day or night and under all weather conditions. The satellite is being operated by

. TecSAR-1 started transmitting high quality images from 1 February 2008. The first image transmitted was that of the Latrun memorial monument. Since the first launch, IAI and Elta Systems have continued developing the satellite and radar. IAI also introduced the TecSAR XP, a SAR microsatellite that leverages the OPSAT-500 bus. TecSAR XP is designed to work in constellations or standalone configurations.

Strategic significance

TecSAR-1 considerably enhances Israel's intelligence-gathering capability. The satellite could potentially be the start of new strategic relations between Israel and India, and could affect the ongoing conflicts in the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

. Israeli media discussed the strategic significance of the satellite, particularly with regard to

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

. It was reported that TecSAR-1's ability to produce images in adverse weather and at night would allow Israel to obtain more information about the suspected Iranian nuclear weapons program. It was also reported that it would be capable of producing images of Iranian activities which previous satellites were unable to view. Another report claimed that should Israel enter a conflict with Iran in the future, information provided by TecSAR-1 could prove critical.

Iranian reaction

A fortnight after the launch, Iranian Ambassador Seyed Mehdi Nabitzadeh announced in a press conference in

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

that he had conveyed Iran's point of view to the Indian government regarding the launch. He emphasized his hope that "wise and independent countries like India do not give their advanced space technologies to launch spying operations against Iran". The Indians however stress that the launch was purely a commercial one.

References

External links

India and Israel Eye Iran
''Foreign Policy in Focus'' {{Orbital launches in 2008 Reconnaissance satellites of Israel Synthetic aperture radar satellites Elta products Israel Aerospace Industries satellites India–Israel relations Spacecraft launched by PSLV rockets Spacecraft launched in 2008 2008 in Israel Military equipment introduced in the 2000s