Shavit 2
| Company type | Space launch vehicle |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aerospace |
| Founded | 1982 |
| Founder | Israel Space Agency |
| Headquarters | Palmachim Airbase , Israel |
Area served | Low Earth orbit satellite deployment |
Key people | Israel Space Agency, Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) |
| Products | Shavit launch vehicles (Shavit-1, Shavit-2) |
| Parent | Israel Space Agency |
Shavit 2 (Hebrew: שביט, meaning "Comet") is a small-lift launch vehicle developed by Israel since 1982, designed to deploy satellites into low Earth orbit. Its inaugural flight took place on 19 September 1988, carrying the Ofek-1 satellite, which positioned Israel as the eighth country capable of orbital launches, following the USSR, United States, France, Japan, China, United Kingdom, and India.
The Shavit 2 program is believed to have originated from Israel's Jericho intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) initiative, which was nuclear-capable.
Operated by the Israel Space Agency, Shavit rockets are launched westward from Palmachim Airbase over the Mediterranean Sea into retrograde orbits. This trajectory avoids overflying populated regions and hostile neighbors to the east but comes at a cost of reduced payload capacity compared to eastward launches. The vehicle features three solid-fuel stages with an optional liquid-fuel fourth stage and is produced by Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI).
The RSA-3, a licensed version of Shavit developed jointly by South Africa and Israel, was intended for domestic satellite launching and ballistic missile purposes but was discontinued in 1994.
An earlier rocket named Shavit 2—unrelated to the current launcher—was Israel's first sounding rocket launched on 5 July 1961 for meteorological studies. Shavit Three achieved an altitude of approximately on 11 August 1961.
Development
The Shavit 2 project commenced in 1982 as a three-stage solid-propellant launch system capable of placing payloads up to 250 kilograms into low Earth orbit. The first two stages are adaptations of the Jericho II missile.
Due to geographic and political factors, all Shavit launches are conducted westward over the Mediterranean Sea from Palmachim Airbase to avoid flying over hostile territories east of Israel. This flight path has occasionally resulted in rocket debris falling near Italian territory close to Lampedusa, confirmed by Italy’s Ministry of Defense.
Vehicle description
The initial versions of the Shavit launcher were compact three-stage solid-fuel rockets based on the Jericho-II ballistic missile’s two-stage design. Development was led by Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI), particularly its MBT System and Space Technology division. The first and second stage motors are manufactured by Israel Military Industries Systems (IMI Systems), while Rafael Advanced Defense Systems produces the third stage motor.
A commercial upgrade originally named Next has since been rebranded as Shavit-2. Both the first and second stages of Shavit-2 utilize an extended motor design derived from the original Shavit-1 first stage.
Launch history
To date, the Shavit rocket has conducted thirteen launches, successfully placing payloads into orbit eleven times. Failures occurred during the fourth and sixth missions. Unlike most launch vehicles that head eastward to benefit from Earth's rotational velocity, Shavit’s westward trajectory over the Mediterranean Sea minimizes risk to Israeli population centers and neighboring countries from falling spent stages. The launcher is anticipated to be available for commercial satellite deployment in the near future.
| Variant | Launch date (UTC) | Launch site | Payload | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shavit | 19 September 1988 09:31 |
Palmachim Airbase | Ofek-1 (Israel) | Success |
| Shavit | 3 April 1990 12:02 |
Palmachim Airbase | Ofek-2 (Israel) | Success |
| Shavit-1 | 5 April 1995 11:16 |
Palmachim Airbase | Ofek-3 (Israel) | Success |
| Shavit-1 | 22 January 1998 12:56 |
Palmachim Airbase | Ofek-4 (Israel) | Failure |
| Shavit-1 | 28 May 2002 15:25 |
Palmachim Airbase | Ofek-5 (Israel) | Success |
| Shavit-1 | 6 September 2004 10:53 |
Palmachim Airbase | Ofek-6 (Israel) | Failure |
| Shavit-2 | 10 June 2007 23:40 |
Palmachim Airbase | Ofek-7 (Israel) | Success |
| Shavit-2 | 22 June 2010 19:00 |
Palmachim Airbase | Ofek-9 (Israel) | Success |
| Shavit-2 | 9 April 2014 19:06 |
Palmachim Airbase | Ofek-10 (TECSAR-2) (Israel) | Success |
| Shavit-2 | 13 September 2016 14:38 |
Palmachim Airbase | Ofek-11 (Israel) | Success |
| Shavit-2 | 6 July 2020 01:00 |
Palmachim Airbase | Ofek-16 (Israel) | Success |
| Shavit-2 | 28 March 2023 23:10 |
Palmachim Airbase | Ofek-13 (TECSAR-3) (Israel) | Success |
The failure in September 2004 resulted in the loss of the $100 million Ofek-6 reconnaissance satellite. Following this setback, Israel utilized India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle for launching its TecSAR synthetic aperture radar satellite while upgrading the Shavit system. The enhanced Shavit-2 successfully deployed Ofek-7 in its subsequent mission in 2007.
South African RSA series
South Africa produced the Jericho II missile-Shavit SLV under license, naming the series of space launch vehicles and ballistic missiles the RSA series. The RSA-3 was constructed by Houwteq, formerly a division of Denel, located in Grabouw near Cape Town. Test flights were conducted at the Denel Overberg Test Range close to Bredasdorp, while engine trials took place at Rooiels. Following South Africa’s decision to dismantle its nuclear arsenal, development efforts shifted toward commercial satellite launch vehicles. By 1992, involvement spanned over 50 companies and engaged between 1,300 and 1,500 personnel from both governmental and private sectors. A more powerful intercontinental ballistic missile or space launcher, designated the RSA-4, was also under development; this design combined a Peacekeeper-class first stage with Jericho-2/RSA-3 upper stages.
| Variant | Launch date | Launch site | Payload | Mission outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RSA-3 | 1 June 1989 | Denel Overberg Test Range | South Africa RSA-3-d 1 | Apogee reached 100 km (60 mi) |
| RSA-3 | 6 July 1989 | Denel Overberg Test Range | South Africa RSA-3 2 | Apogee reached 300 km (180 mi) |
| RSA-3 | 19 November 1990 | Denel Overberg Test Range | South Africa RSA-3 3 | Apogee reached 300 km (180 mi) |
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The satellite launcher initiative involving RSA-3 and RSA-4 was terminated in June 1994.
Proposed LK civilian launch variants
In 1998, the Israel Space Agency collaborated with the U.S.-based Coleman Research Corporation (now part of L-3 Communications) to develop the LK series of small-scale launch vehicles. Subsequently, in 2001, a French-Israeli joint venture named LeoLink—formed by Astrium and Israel Aircraft Industries—was established to commercialize the LK variant. However, reports indicate that development of the LK series ceased by 2002.
The LK-1 model was derived from the Shavit-2 but incorporated U.S.-manufactured motors and components to comply with American government specifications. The larger LK-2 utilized a Thiokol Castor 120 motor as its initial stage and featured a third stage powered by either a licensed AUS-51 motor or a Thiokol Star 48 motor. Every variant included a small monopropellant hydrazine fourth stage.
- LK-A – engineered to deploy satellites weighing up to 350 kg into elliptical polar orbits measuring approximately 240 × 600 km.
- LK-1 – designed for placing satellites of around 350 kg into circular polar orbits at roughly 700 km altitude.
- LK-2 – capable of launching satellites up to 800 kg into circular polar orbits at about 700 km altitude.
An air-launch concept for the Shavit LK satellite launcher was proposed jointly by ISA and Israel Aircraft Industries. This approach involved releasing a standard Shavit-1 or Shavit-2 booster—minus its first stage—from a Hercules C-130 aircraft. Another idea suggested transporting the entire launch vehicle atop a Boeing 747, similar to the method used for carrying the Space Shuttle, allowing launches over the Indian Ocean. This strategy would take advantage of Earth’s rotational velocity to provide an eastward boost rather than launching westward into retrograde orbit over the Mediterranean Sea, effectively nearly doubling payload capacity.