[FPSPACE] First Israeli-built SAR satellite slated to be launched by India this week

[Erik Tronstad]

If I remember correctly AW&ST reported in this week's issue (don't 
have it here) that Israel's radar imaging satellite is to be launched 
by Indias PSLV. Haven't yet read the article in AW&ST, only the 
headline, but I suppose that a launch by PSLV (NOT by India's GSLV) 
means the satellite will be placed in some kind of polar or 
near-polar orbit. The Israelis can't make launches into such orbits 
from their own territory, which is why they "outsource" it to someone 
who can and will do it for them.

Erik Tronstad

At 18:57 20.09.2007, robot at esper.com wrote:
>Forgive the dumb question - I'm too lazy to look up the background
>data.
>
>IIRC, the Ofeq-series of spysats mass in at /circa/ 300 kg, and fly
>in somewhat retrograde polar orbits. They were put up by Israeli
>rockets from Israeli territory, and they paid a heckuva launch
>penalty. Nevertheless, they did that. Now, according the article, the
>Tecsar is in the same mass range and presumably would fly in a
>similar orbit. (Perhaps that assumption of mine is mistaken.) Why
>then farm out the launch service for a mission of this importance?
>Surely not just a foreign policy stunt. Either the mass figure quoted
>in the /J.Post/ was wrong or disinformation, or the Indian half of
>the deal is some kind of /quid pro quo/ . This in turns suggests that
>there is some deeper, more important, military-technical cooperation
>between the two countries. There's certainly no shortage of brains in
>India, and they're growing like gangbusters, so that's plausible. But
>then the Israelis have always excelled at finding interesting
>strategic bedfellows, from Day One.
>
>Just speculatin' here.
>
> >The takeoff from India follow's June launch of the Ofek-7 spy
> >satellite.
> >Weighing just under 300 kilograms, the Tecsar, was developed by
>  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
>In curiosity,
>
>Robert G Kennedy III, PE
>www.ultimax.com
>
>
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