Israel Defense Forces / Israel Aerospace Industries · Palmachim, Central District, Israel, Israel
Launch Pads
1 active (classified IAF facility)as of [1]Annual Launches
1–2as of [1]Max Payload (LEO)
~350 kg to retrograde LEO (Shavit-2)as of [1]Launches westward over Mediterranean due to geopolitical overflight constraints; unusual retrograde orbitEstablished
1988
Palmachim Airbase on Israel's Mediterranean coast serves as the launch site for the Shavit orbital launch vehicle. Due to Israel's geopolitical situation, rockets must be launched westward over the Mediterranean Sea (retrograde), which requires extra energy but avoids overflying hostile neighbors. Israel is one of the smallest nations with indigenous orbital launch capability — the retrograde penalty costs roughly 15-20% of payload mass versus an equivalent prograde launch, a structural disadvantage that has shaped the country's preference for compact reconnaissance satellites.
| Region | Middle East |
| Country | 🇮🇱 Israel |
| Coordinates | 31.8847° N, 34.6827° E |
| Ownership | Military |
| Parent Entity | Israel Ministry of Defense / Israel Space Agency (ISA) |
| Regulatory Regime | Israel Space Agency (ISA) civil oversight; Ministry of Defense controls dual-use launches and Ofeq reconnaissance program |
| Latitude Advantage | 31.9°N — moderate latitude but partially negated by mandatory retrograde launch profile (westward over Mediterranean) |
| Azimuth Range | ~255°-285° (westward retrograde only) — ~15-20% payload penalty vs. prograde launch; no eastward azimuths available due to overflight constraints over Jordan/Saudi Arabia |
| Employees | Classified (IDF Space Unit + IAI MLM Division) |
| Website | https://www.iai.co.il/ |
Anchor Tenants
Active Users
Strategic Value
Strategic sovereign launch capability for reconnaissance satellites despite hostile geography; demonstrates that retrograde launches from small nations are technically viable. Investor relevance limited — closed military program with no commercial offering.
Recent Activity
Ofeq-13 SAR reconnaissance satellite launched March 2023 on Shavit-2; first operational synthetic-aperture-radar bird in the Ofeq fleet.