Israel receives first images from newly launched spy satellite Ofek 19

The launch of the Ofek 19 spy satellite from Palmachim air base, September 2, 2025. (Defense Ministry)

Israel’s newest spy satellite has beamed back its first images, nearly two weeks after it was launched into orbit, the Defense Ministry says.

Advertisements

“About two weeks after its successful launch into space, the engineering teams… yesterday for the first time activated the [synthetic aperture] radar of the Ofek 19 satellite and downloaded the first images from the satellite,” the ministry says.

The ministry does not release copies of these initial photographs to the public.

Advertisements

The Ofek 19 satellite was launched on September 2 in a joint operation by the Defense Ministry’s Space Department and the Israel Aerospace Industries.

According to the ministry, since the launch, teams from both organizations have been performing checks on the satellite to ensure it is operating correctly.

Once operational, the satellite will be handed over to the IDF Military Intelligence Directorate’s Unit 9900, a visual intelligence detachment that controls all of the nation’s spy satellites.

Advertisements