New York Times Search All NYTimes Archives Israel Launches Space Program And a Satellite By JOHN KIFNER, Special to the New York Times Published: September 20, 1988 Email Print Israel sent an experimental satellite into orbit today, a move that was seen as the first step toward developing a reconnaissance satellite that would make Israel less dependent on the United States for intelligence. The satellite, code-named Ofek (Horizon) 1, is an experimental craft that is to remain in space for about a month, collecting data on solar energy and the earths magnetic field, before burning itself out, according to Prof. Yuval Neeman, director of the Israeli Space Agency and the head of the project. Professor Neeman emphasized that the launching of the satellite was only a beginning, comparing it to the Soviet launch of the first satellite, Sputnik, in 1957. He indicated that there was a long way to go before a fully functioning reconnaissance satellite could be put up. Some experts said this could be as much as three years. Israel Joins 7 Other Nations The professor said it would travel around the world in about an hour and a half, roughly 620 miles away from earth at its farthest point in the orbit and 155 miles at its closest point. With the launching, Israel became only the eighth nation - the others are the United States, the Soviet Union, China, France, Britain, Japan and India - with rockets capable of launching satellites. Brazil is also believed to be working on a space program. The action also appeared to have the potential to enhance Israels military superiority over its Arab neighbors. Earlier foreign press reports suggested that the missile used in the launch was an enhancement of the Jericho-2 medium-range missile reportedly capable of carrying a warhead 900 nautical miles. The former army chief of staff, Mordechai Gur, now a Cabinet Minister without portfolio, said that Israel had begun work to develop a reconnaissance satellite after it decided that it could not rely on the United States to provide full intelligence information. During the 1973 war, the United States did not give us enough information, he said after a Cabinet meeting Sunday. When I say not enough, I mean less that what we got before the war. Professor Neeman said the main purpose of the satellite launching was technological, so we can learn the actual techniques, but he did not discount the possibility that future satellites would have military applications. Israeli crowds at a Mediterranean beach broke into cheers as they saw the rocket rise into a clear blue sky from an undisclosed launching site at 11:32 this morning. Thats it! exclaimed a reporter for Israel state radio, one of a small group of Israeli journalists brought to see the launching, over the rumble of the liftoff. The satellite has been launched. Its an amazing sight! Press Full of Reports The launching came a day after the Israeli press was full of reports - citing foreign technical magazines - that the country was about to launch a communications or spy satellite. Israeli journalists frequently cite foreign reports to avoid military censorship. Government officials declined to comment on the reports and denied that the subject had been discussed at Sundays weekly Cabinet meeting. Who said anything about spying? Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir said after the Cabinet meeting, in reply to a radio reporters question about an article in the British magazine Flight International claiming that Israel had developed a reconnaissance satellite and a rocket to put it in low-level orbit. Mr. Shamir was considerably more expansive today, saying the launch makes Israel a partner in the upper echelon of the modern technological world. Certainly we should congratulate our scientific community, our industry and everyone who is involved in Israels great technological and scientific achievement, said the Prime Minister, who is the midst of a tough election campaign. Comments by Peres Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, Mr. Shamirs electoral rival, was somewhat more circumspect, trying to play down any military aspects of the new satellite: This is not a weapon. This is not an arms race. This is technology. In the Jonathan Jay Pollard espionage case, court documents indicated that many of the military secrets the United States Navy analyst gave away came from satellite intelligence the United States was not passing on to Israel. Experts say a satellite in a low orbit is of limited military use since it is only in place for a short time. The United States and the Soviet Union have high-altitude satellites that, in effect, hover permanently over their targets. The cost of such effective military observation is put in the billions of dollars. NASA Denies Any Role An official with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration said yesterday that NASA officials have worked with the Israelis on space-related projects but did not provide assistance on the satellite project. They certainly didnt do it with any NASA help, said the official, Karen Miller, who is the head of the Israel-Italy desk at NASA. She said the United States and Israel had cooperated on an American laser-ranging station in Israel used by geodynamic satellites to measure the shape of the earth from space and recently concluded an agreement for scientists at Tel Aviv University to put an experiment on the space shuttle to test the effects of gravity on the building of hornets nests. Home Times Topics Member Center Copyright 2013 The New York Times Company Privacy Policy Help Contact Us Work for Us Site Map Index by Keyword
Posted on: Sun, 02 Nov 2014 18:49:24 +0000
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