[Photo above: Dror 1 in the testing facility. Credit: Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI)]

Israel’s communications satellite Dror 1 was successfully launched into space earlier this week (Sunday) from Cape Canaveral, USA, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The satellite will operate in a geosynchronous orbit above the equator at an altitude of 36,000 kilometers (22,300 miles) above Earth.

Dror 1 was developed by the Missile and Space Systems Division of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), the same division responsible over the years for developing the AMOS family of communications satellites, Barak 8, Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 missile defense systems, reconnaissance and spy satellites, and more. The satellite was originally intended to be named “AMOS 8,” but following the cancellation of an operational agreement with the company Spacecom, its name was changed.

Dror 1 is the first of approximately ten planned Dror satellites, forming part of Israel’s national strategy for independent satellite communications. The satellite weighs 4.5 tons, has a 17.8-meter wingspan (solar panels), and carries a pair of 2.8-meter antennas – the largest communication antennas ever built for an Israeli satellite. Dror 1 is designed to operate for 15 years, providing continuous communications coverage across the Middle East, Europe, and Africa. It will be stationed at the 4°W orbital slot, alongside AMOS 3.

The fully digital satellite is equipped with a payload of 48 Ku-band transponders and two Ka-band transponders. As part of the project, the Israel Space Agency funded the development of a new communications satellite computer with a budget of ₪29.5 million (approx. $8 million USD).

This launch marks a major milestone for Israel’s space industry, which suffered a severe setback in September 2016 when the AMOS 6 satellite was completely destroyed in a launch pad explosion at Cape Canaveral. In response, Israel’s Ministry of Science initiated a review of the country’s civil space program. One of the central recommendations was the urgent need to develop a new Israeli-built communications satellite to ensure the country’s emergency and civilian communications resilience.

The recommendation was approved by the Israeli government in 2018, and a development agreement with IAI was signed in 2020.