Israel's Dror-1 satellite reaches orbit 36,000 km. above Earth, begins missionThe 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.
Satellite's first orbit of Earth will only take 30 hoursThe 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. The satellite travels at a speed of 3 km. per second.
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.
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. Now that it is in orbit, engineers will begin conducting tests to ensure its functionality.
Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.