Israeli Rocket, Spy Satellite Explode in Mid-Air After Launch
(Source: Voice of America news; issued Sept. 6, 2004)
Israeli military officials say a rocket carrying an Israeli spy satellite crashed into the Mediterranean shortly after takeoff, a failure seen as a serious setback for the Jewish state's military.
Israel's Ofek-6 satellite was supposed to improve surveillance of Iran's missile program, but it was destroyed in Monday's crash.
The rocket and satellite exploded in mid-air near the coastal launch site, south of Tel Aviv, and landed in the sea.
The loss of the Ofek-6 is the second recent setback for Israel's military. Last week, its missile-killer system was unable to shoot down a dummy missile off the coast of California.
The lost satellite's name, Ofek, means 'horizon' in Hebrew.
-ends-
