Dror 1 soars into orbit on SpaceX rocket, becomes Israel’s largest communications satellite
The IAI-built satellite will boost national broadcast and defense missions from geostationary orbit.
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Elon Musk’s SpaceX launched on Sunday the Dror 1 communications satellite into space from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The Dror 1 satellite will serve Israeli communications providers and will also support missions for Israel’s defense establishment.
The satellite was launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Notably, the same type of rocket, launched from the same site, was supposed to carry the Amos 6 communications satellite, also built by IAI, in 2016, but a pre-launch explosion destroyed the satellite before it could reach orbit.
Dror 1 will operate from a fixed point in geostationary orbit at an altitude of 36,000 kilometers. It weighs about 4.5 tons, has a wingspan of 18 meters, and carries antennas with a diameter of 2.8 meters. IAI said that these antennas are the largest ever built for an Israeli communications satellite.
