Today in Space History - Horizon From The Coast

Today in Space History - Horizon From The Coast 🚀
Stardate 1443.2252 (SEPTEMBER 19, 1988)

From a coastal pad south of Tel Aviv a Shavit rocket rose on a September morning, carrying Ofeq-1 into a retrograde path around Earth. Israel became the eighth country to reach orbit with its own launcher, a quiet demonstration of engineering born in secrecy and national resolve.

The octagonal satellite tested solar cells, radio links and the space environment itself. It outlasted its planned weeks, circling until January, a first step that opened a long road of observation from above.