Palmachim Air Force Base (Israel), Space defence - Bases

Current Status
The latest launch from Palmachim Air Force Base was the Ofeq 9 satellite on a Shavit-2 on 22 June 2010. Palmachim Air Force Base is located south of Tel Aviv, near the town of Yavne. It is Israel's military satellite launch site. The Palmachim launch facility can accommodate Shavit and LK-1 launch vehicles. Israel launches its Ofeq (also Ofek) satellites from this location.On 6 September 2004, Israel attempted to launch Ofeq 6 from Palmachim, however the launch failed during the third stage, and the remote sensing satellite fell into the Mediterranean Sea near Ashdod. Ofeq 6 was designed to augment intelligence data received from Ofeq 5, and to eventually replace the older satellite, which remains operational.

Background
The Israelis inaugurated Palmachim as an orbital site with the launch of the first Shavit rocket, carrying the Ofeq 1 satellite into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) on 19 September 1988. The facilities are classified, although they are visible from the coast road. Located at the eastern end of the Mediterranean, the site is restricted to retrograde launches due to range safety and security considerations. Although the trajectory still passes over southern Europe, Israel does not launch toward the west, over neighbouring Arab countries.Israel's second Ofeq orbital launch was made in April 1990, and the third in April 1995. Reportedly, several launch failures occurred between 1991 and 1994. Ofeq 4 was launched from Palmachim in January 1998, but it failed to reach orbit.The Ofeq 5 imaging satellite was successfully launched on 28 May 2002. It is equipped with a high-resolution camera, which is likely to observe military movements inside Iran, Syria and Iraq for Intelligence, Surveillance And Reconnaissance (ISR) purposes.Israeli commercial and research satellites are placed into orbit by launch vehicles outside Israel.

The complete article appears in the following publication:
Publication Title	Jane's Space Systems and Industry
Publication date	Oct 26, 2011
Section	Space defence - Bases
Publication synopsis	Profiling hundreds of spacecraft, launchers, manufacturers and operators, Jane's Space Systems and Industry provides a global view of the development, application and support of space-based systems. Human, communications, imaging, scientific, Research & Development and other space applications are covered. Key objectives, developments and technical specifications of launch vehicles and in-service spacecraft are reviewed, including microsatellites and the new generation of small launchers. Space system prime contractors and major suppliers are profiled, with detailed listings of their space-related activities. Civil, military and commercial enterprises that buy, operate and support space technology and systems are covered in detail, supporting market research and procurement requirements.
The depth and breadth of information covers	Civil, commercial, scientific and military satellites Civil, commercial and military space operators Human spaceflight programmes Launch vehicles Space launch and spacecraft industry Space launch logs Worldwide launch facilities
Different sections provide in-depth detail covering	Analysis Civil Space Organisations - Launch Facilities Civil Space Organisations - Multi-National Agencies Civil Space Organisations - National Agencies Civil Space Organisations - Research & Development Civil Space Organisations - Satellite Operators Commercial Space Services - Launch Facilities Commercial Space Services - Satellite Operators Contractors Glossary Space Defence - Bases Space Defence - Operators Space Defence - Research & Development Space Industry - Joint Ventures Space Industry - Major Sub-Contractors Space Industry - Prime Contractors Space Launch Vehicles - Orbital Space Launch Vehicles - Sub-Orbital Space Logs - Logs Spacecraft - Communications Spacecraft - Defence Spacecraft - Earth Observation Spacecraft - Human Spacecraft - Navigation Spacecraft - Scientific Spacecraft - Technology Demonstration

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