| astronautix.com | Ofeq 1-2 |
Ofeq, meaning 'Horizon', was a demonstration satellite developed by IAI (Israel Aircraft Industries) for ISA (Israel Space Agency). Israel became the eighth nation to launch an indigenous satellite when Ofeq 1 was placed into LEO. The full payload was not disclosed but included magnetometers and house-keeping monitoring. The only malfunction was in telemetry memory; computer switched to backup. Expected life was a few weeks but did not re-enter until January 14 because of higher than expected orbit. Function: 1) Experimentation in generation of solar power; 2) Experimentation in transmission reception from space; 3) Verification of system's ability to withstand vacuum and weightless conditions; 4) Data collection on space environment conditions and Earth's magnetic field. Spacecraft: An irregular octagonal prism of conventional aluminum. Mass budget (kg): structure 33, power system 58, computer 7, comms 12, thermal control 5, wiring 9, instrumentation & balance masses 32. Spin stabilised at 400 deg/sec, the 16 solar panels provided 246 W through a 7 Ah NiCd battery; typical consumption was 53 W. S-band telemetry returned at 2.5 kbit/s from a 128 kbyte memory. Attitude sensing provided by 3-axis rate gyro, magnetometer and Sun sensor. Payload: Classified except for magnetometers and housekeeping monitoring.
Design Life: weeks - months. Total Length: 2.3 m. Maximum Diameter: 1.2 m. Total Mass: 157 kg.
First Israeli launch; possibly experimental surveillance mission. Experimental satellite 'Offeq-1'. Launch time 0934 GMT. Location: site on the coast south of Tel-Aviv. Launching organization: Israel Aircraft Industries, Ltd (IAI) and Israeli Space Agency (ISA). Function: 1) Experimentation in generation of solar power; 2) Experimentation in transmission reception from space; 3) Verification of system's ability to withstand vacuum and weightless conditions; 4) Data collection on space environment conditions and Earth's magnetic field.
Communication experiments.