Israel – In face of Iran’s race to obtain nuclear weapons and predictions that war with Syria is on the horizon, Israel strengthened its foothold in space on Monday and successfully launched a spy satellite, which defense officials said granted the IDF unprecedented operational capabilities.
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The satellite, called Ofek 7, was launched at 2:40 AM from Palmahim Air Force Base and began showing initial signs of life 55 minutes later after reaching orbit. Officials said however that it would take several days to test the satellite’s systems before it would be declared operational. The satellite was launched atop a Shavit missile. [jpost]