Support Equipment

Shavit space launcher

Also known as
  • Shavit
  • Shavit 2
  • Shavit-2
  • Ofeq launcher
  • Ofek launcher

Shavit is Israel Aerospace Industries' small satellite launcher for placing compact payloads into low Earth orbit, including the Ofek reconnaissance-satellite series. Public IAI material describes Shavit as a three-stage, solid-fuel launcher with a 380 kg lift capability, while space-reporting sources document Shavit 2 missions carrying Ofek 16 and Ofek 13 from Palmachim on westward retrograde trajectories.

Shavit space launcher, Small satellite launch vehicle, Support Equipment
Image source: Wikimedia Commons - Shavit Ofek7a.jpg
Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Israel
Type
Small satellite launch vehicle
Service note
1988-present
Designer
Israel Aerospace Industries / MLM Division
Designed
1980s
Produced
1988-present launch family
Developed from
Israeli small-satellite launch program

Specifications

Primary function
Small satellite launch vehicle
Orbit class
Low Earth orbit
Stages
Three-stage launcher
Propulsion
Three solid-fuel rocket motors
Lift capability
380 kg according to IAI product material
Launch site context
Recent Ofek launches are publicly reported from Palmachim on westward retrograde trajectories
Operational relationship
Used to launch Israeli OFEQ/Ofek reconnaissance satellites
Variants

Public sources usually identify the operational family as Shavit or Shavit 2, with IAI emphasizing the current small-satellite launch service and launch reporters using Shavit 2 for recent Ofek missions.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
ShavitOriginal operational launcher

IAI says Shavit has been operational for 30 years and is used to launch Israeli OFEQ satellites.

Sources: IAI Shavit Product Page

Shavit 2Recent Ofek launch configuration

Spaceflight Now identifies Shavit 2 as the launcher for the Ofek 16 and Ofek 13 missions from Palmachim.

Sources: Spaceflight Now Ofek 16 Launch, Spaceflight Now Ofek 13 Launch

Launched Payloads

The public sources connect Shavit to Israel's Ofek reconnaissance-satellite family.

Launched itemItem typeLaunch evidence
Ofek reconnaissance satellites, Military reconnaissance satellite family, Support EquipmentOfek reconnaissance satellitesReconnaissance satellite family

IAI says Shavit is used to launch Israeli OFEQ satellites; recent public releases and launch reports identify Shavit or Shavit 2 with Ofek 16, Ofek 13, and Ofek 19 missions.

Sources: IAI Shavit Product Page, Spaceflight Now Ofek 16 Launch, Spaceflight Now Ofek 13 Launch, IAI Ofek 19 Launch

Ofek Launch Role

Shavit is included here as a relationship-only support system because public sources tie it to Ofek satellite deployment rather than to direct battlefield employment. IAI describes Shavit as the launcher used for Israeli OFEQ satellites, and launch reporting documents recent Shavit 2 missions from Palmachim carrying Ofek 16 and Ofek 13 into retrograde low Earth orbit.

Launcher class

Three-stage, solid-fuel small satellite launcher for low Earth orbit missions.

Source: IAI Shavit Product Page.

Ofek dependency

Recent public Ofek launches identify Shavit or Shavit 2 as the launch vehicle for Israeli reconnaissance satellites.

Sources: Spaceflight Now Ofek 16 Launch; Spaceflight Now Ofek 13 Launch; IAI Ofek 19 Launch.

Sourcing limit

No direct conflict-use row is added for Shavit; the record supports launch-vehicle relationships to satellite pages.

Timeline

Shavit space launcher Key Events

  1. First Ofek launch

    GlobalSecurity describes Shavit's first flight as placing the Ofeq 1 engineering satellite into low Earth orbit on September 19, 1988.

    Sources: GlobalSecurity Shavit

  2. Shavit 2 launches Ofek 16

    Spaceflight Now reported that a Shavit 2 launcher carried Ofek 16 from Palmachim into orbit on a westward trajectory.

    Sources: Spaceflight Now Ofek 16 Launch

  3. Shavit 2 launches Ofek 13

    Spaceflight Now reported that a solid-fueled Shavit 2 rocket delivered the Ofek 13 radar satellite into a retrograde orbit.

    Sources: Spaceflight Now Ofek 13 Launch

  4. Shavit supports Ofek 19 launch

    IAI and IMOD announced the launch of Ofek 19, the next SAR observation satellite in the Ofek family, from Israel's domestic space-launch infrastructure.

    Sources: IAI Ofek 19 Launch

Media

Shavit space launcher Videos

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Sources

IAI Shavit Product PagePublisher: Israel Aerospace Industries | Note: Supports Shavit identity, small-satellite-launcher role, three-stage solid-fuel configuration, 380 kg lift capability, and OFEQ launch relationship. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Spaceflight Now Ofek 16 LaunchPublisher: Spaceflight Now | Note: Supports the Shavit 2 launch relationship for Ofek 16, Palmachim launch context, westward trajectory, and IAI prime-contractor context. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Spaceflight Now Ofek 13 LaunchPublisher: Spaceflight Now | Note: Supports the Shavit 2 launch relationship for Ofek 13, solid-fueled launcher context, retrograde-orbit trajectory, and Rafael/Tomer motor context. | Accessed: 2026-07-13IAI Ofek 19 LaunchPublisher: Israel Aerospace Industries | Note: Supports Ofek 19 launch relationship and SAR observation-satellite context for the newest public Ofek mission. | Accessed: 2026-07-13GlobalSecurity ShavitPublisher: GlobalSecurity.org | Note: Supports Shavit background, first Ofeq launch chronology, prime-contractor context, and launch-site/trajectory constraints. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Wikimedia Commons - Shavit Ofek7a.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports open-license image provenance for the primary image showing a Shavit launch associated with Ofek 7. | Accessed: 2026-07-13