SpaceX successfully landing its reusable rocket for the 200th time
(Video: SpaceX)
SpaceX launched 72 satellites into space on Tuesday night, amongst them the Israeli RUNNER-1 satellite, a high-resolution video and color imaging satellite developed by the Israeli company ImageSat (ISI).
Read more:
By successfully landing its reusable rocket for the 200th time, thus reducing costs, Elon Musk's company achieved an important milestone. Additionally, this marked SpaceX's 40th space launch in 2023.
2 View gallery
The satellites launched into space - the Israeli satellite circles in red
(Photo: SpaceX)
Dozens of satellites were launched, as part of the Transporter 8 mission using the Falcon 9 rocket, from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 0:35 (Israel time). This is the third Transporter mission of the year for SpaceX, in which multiple satellites are launched in a single mission. On January 3rd, the company launched 114 satellites in the Transporter 6 mission, and on April 15th, 51 satellites were launched in the Transporter 7 mission. The record was set in January 2021, when 143 satellites were launched in the Transporter-1 mission.
As mentioned, among the dozens of satellites launched early Tuesday, there was also a satellite developed and manufactured in Israel. The RUNNER-1 satellite, jointly developed by the Israeli company ISI and the American aerospace and defense company Terran Orbital, is a multi-purpose remote sensing satellite with advanced capabilities, including high-resolution color video imaging from space.
The Israeli satellite is joining the company's inventory and will provide services to the Chilean government as part of the country's national space program. The RUNNER-1, known as FASat Delta in Chile, is a key contributor to the vision of the South American country's national space program. In the coming years, two additional satellites from the RUNNER series will be launched and delivered to Chile (FASat Echo1 and FASat Echo2).
According to ISI, the RUNNER-1 is based on Terran Orbital's avionics platform and an electro-optical mission system developed by ISI. It was also mentioned that its production cost enables the launch of a larger number of satellites and steady intelligence gathering from space. Along with advanced ground control systems and artificial intelligence capabilities, the RUNNER system allows efficient data collection and analysis, providing a rapid response to various scenarios, including infrastructure monitoring, natural disasters, security events, climate changes, and more.
"The launch of RUNNER-1 marks a significant milestone for ISI," said ISI CEO Noam Segal. "It is the result of an extensive R&D period, aiming to position ISI as a one-stop-shop for the geospatial-intelligence industry. The cooperation with Terran Orbital has proved itself to be synergetic, bringing both companies’ expertise and deep knowledge of spacecraft development to best serve the Chilean space program's needs and future requirements."