Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI) recently signed a $1 billion contract with a foreign customer, purportedly Morocco — no in-depth details have been released about this substantial contract for the delivery of advanced, intelligence satellites to that nation.
Two intelligence gathering satellites will, allegedly, be built, using the IAI’s OPTSAT 3000 series and these spacecraft will supposedly replace two, older, lower resolutions satellites in operation by Morocco.
Previously, Morocco has also purchased the IAI’s Barak 8 air defence system for $500 million. The space camera used in the satellites is a product of Elbit Systems while the propulsion system is from Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.
The OPTSAT 3000 is an advanced, electro optical satellite that offers a 70 cm aperture telescope and a highly sensitive sensor and is able to acquire several targets in a short period of time, thanks to the satellite’s agile capabilities. Orbiting at SSO LEO, the spacecraft offer location accuracy and high quality imagery. The satellite is adept at capturing optical data for military and civil applications and, in combo with the company’s ground segment capabilities and advanced data processing, can delivery accurate, multi-level data with impressive speed.
The satellite is fully compatible with most commercial launch service providers and, as it can be launched via a ridesharing program, is also a cost-effective solution. The OPTSAT 300 is space proven and provides high quality as well as precise imagery of strategic locations around the world.
Based on more than four decades of space excellence and dozens of successful space missions, OPTSAT 3000 is IAI’s state of the art Electro Optical (EO) satellite system. OPTSAT 3000 is space proven and appreciated as a very reliable stem, greatly exceeding its planned mission life. Designed according to strict requirements and built to the highest standards, OPTSAT 3000 satellites are in constant use by IAI’s customers worldwide, supplying continuous, precise, high-quality imagery of battlefields and strategic locations across the globe.
