Israel launched a new spy satellite that it said would provide high-quality surveillance for its military intelligence.
In a statement Monday, the Israel Defense Ministry and Israel Aerospace Industries said “Ofek 16” was fired into space at 4 am local time [01:00 GMT].
The “electro-optical reconnaissance satellite with advanced capabilities … will undergo a series of tests,” he added.
The first images are expected in about a week.
There were no further details on the satellite’s mission, but Israeli public radio said it would be used to monitor the nuclear activities of regional rival Iran. Tehran denies that its nuclear program has any military dimension.
Defense Minister and deputy prime minister Benny Gantz said intelligence capabilities are “essential” to Israel’s security.
“We will continue to strengthen and maintain Israel’s capabilities on all fronts, in all places.”
The state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries was the prime contractor for the project, and the satellite payload was developed by defense firm Elbit Systems.
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