Posted: Mon, Jun 11, 2007, 8:44 AM ET (1244 GMT)
Israel launched a small reconnaissance satellite on its own Shavit booster early Monday. The Shavit booster lifted off from the Palmachim Air Force Base in Israel at 7:40 pm EDT Sunday (2340 GMT Sunday, 2:40 am Monday local time) and placed the Ofeq-7 satellite into low Earth orbit. The 300-kilogram satellite is designed to provide high-resolution imagery for the Israeli military. Ofeq-7 will replace the aging Ofeq-5 satellite, which has been operating for about five years. The launch, which was not previously announced, is the first Israeli launch since a September 2004 failure of a Shavit carrying the Ofeq-6 satellite.

Related Links:

•  Jerusalem Post article
•  DEBKAfile article
•  AP article
•  Reuters article
•  Israel Insider article