Israel launched a Dror-1 communications satellite that will reach 36,000 kilometers above Earth on Sunday. It was developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), and launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle.
The Jerusalem Post attended the satellite launch, which is the most advanced communications satellite yet launched by Israel, at IAI headquarters, speaking directly with 13 scientists from IAI.
At the same time, another group of 15 IAI scientists was located at Cape Canaveral in Florida as part of the joint launch.
The Post was in communication with the team at Cape Canaveral via video link.
There were intensive efforts to work on the satellite around 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but work on the physical components became more serious in 2021, which was then interrupted during Operation Guardian of the Walls in 2021.
A practice satellite in a vacuum was tested in Munich, Germany, over the course of three weeks and took place sometime after October 7 and the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas War.
The satellite was moved to Cape Canaveral in recent months, though the war with Iran in June disrupted the team and launch process.
The satellite travels at a speed of 3 km. per second, and the first part of the flight lasts three minutes and 42 seconds.
The second stage takes place in the atmosphere, where the launch vehicle separates from the launch space rocket.
During the third stage, the canopy and launch vehicle separate from the satellite, and it deploys two solar panels and four antennas.
Dror-1 orbits Earth once every 30 hours
The satellite’s first orbiting of Earth will take only 30 hours.
After that, it will slow down and orbit Earth five times over a period of two weeks.
Its size is 17.8 meters by 2.8 meters, and it weighs 4.5 tons.
It also contains 70 video cameras and is made up of 28,000 nails.
A total of 560 IAI employees worked on the satellite over the years.
The SpaceX rocket landed safely on a drone ship following the launch.
IAI has led Israel’s space program since the 1980s, beginning with the launch of its first observation satellite, Ofek 1. Since then, the company has developed and launched additional communications and observation satellites.
According to the IAI, the Dror 1 satellite will serve Israel’s communication needs for the coming years, and once in orbit, engineers will conduct tests to ensure its functionality.