| Function | Expendable launch vehicle |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Israel Aerospace Industries |
| Country of origin | Israel |
| Size | |
| Height | 26.4 m (86.6 ft) |
| Diameter | 2.3 m (7.5 ft) |
| Mass | 30,500 - 70,000 kg (67,200 - 154,000 lb) |
| Stages | 4 |
| Capacity | |
| Payload to LEO |
350-800kg[1] (770-1760 lb) |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Active |
| Launch sites | Palmachim Airbase |
| Total launches | 9 |
| Successes | 6 |
| Failures | 3 |
| Maiden flight | 19 September 1988 |
| First Stage (Shavit LeoLink LK-1) - LK-1 | |
| Engines | LK-1 |
| Thrust | 774.0 kN (174,002 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 268 sec |
| Burn time | 55 seconds |
| Fuel | HTPB |
| First Stage (Shavit LeoLink LK-2) - Castor 120 | |
| Engines | |
| Thrust | 1650.2kN (370,990 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 280 sec |
| Burn time | 82 sec |
| Fuel | HTPB polymer, Class1.3 C |
| Second Stage - LK-1 | |
| Engines | 1 LK-1 |
| Thrust | 774.0 kN |
| Specific impulse | 268 sec |
| Burn time | 55 sec |
| Fuel | HTPB |
| Third Stage - RSA-3-3 | |
| Engines | 1 RSA-3-3 |
| Thrust | 58.8 kN |
| Specific impulse | 298 sec |
| Burn time | 94 seconds |
| Fuel | Solid |
| Fourth Stage - LK-4 | |
| Engines | 1 LK-4 |
| Thrust | 402 kN |
| Specific impulse | 200 sec |
| Burn time | 800 seconds |
| Fuel | N2O4/UDMH |
Shavit (Hebrew: "comet" - שביט) is a space launch vehicle produced by Israel to launch small satellites into low earth orbit. It was first launched on September 19, 1988 (carrying an Ofeq satellite payload), making Israel the eighth country to have a space launch capability after the USSR, United States, France, Japan, People's Republic of China, United Kingdom and India.
Shavit rockets are launched from Palmachim Airbase by the Israeli Space Agency into a highly retrograde orbit over the Mediterranean Sea to prevent debris coming down in populated areas and also to avoid flying over nations hostile to Israel to the east; this results in a lower payload-to-orbit than east-directed launches would allow. The launcher consists of three stages powered by solid fuel rocket motors, with an optional liquid fuel fourth stage, and is manufactured by IAI.
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The development of Shavit began in 1982.[2] Shavit was a three-stage, solid-propellant launcher designed to carry payloads up to 250 kg into low earth orbit. It was speculated for some time and later confirmed that the first two stages of the Shavit were that of the Jericho II missile.[3]
Shavit was first launched in 1988 and because of its geographic location and hostile relations with surrounding countries, Israel had to launch it to the west, over the Mediterranean Sea, in order to avoid flying over those hostile territories to its east. The practice has continued ever since.[4]
The first of the Shavit vehicles were a small, 3-stage, solid propellant booster based on the 2-stage Jericho-II ballistic missile and developed under the general management of Israeli Aircraft Industries and in particular its MBT System and Space Technology subsidiary. Israel Military Industries produces the first and second stage motors, while RAFAEL is responsible for the third stage motor.[5]
A planned commercial Shavit upgrade was called Next. This name is no longer used, and this proposed upgrade configuration is now called Shavit-2. Both first and second stages of the Shavit-2 use the stretched motor design of the Shavit-1 first stage.
In 1998 Israel Space Agency partnered with U.S. Coleman Research Corporation (now a division of L-3 Communications) to develop the LK family of small launch vehicles.[6] In 2001 a new French joint-venture, LeoLink, between Astrium and Israel Aircraft Industries, was created to market the LK variant.[7] It is believed that in 2002 development of the LK variant was discontinued.[8]
The LK-1 was closely based on the Shavit-2, but with motors and other components built in the United States to satisfy U.S. government requirements.[6] The LK-2 was a larger vehicle using a Thiokol Castor 120 motor as its first stage. The third stage was either a standard AUS-51 motor built under license by Atlantic Research Corp., or a Thiokol Star 48 motor. All launch vehicles would have had a small monopropellant hydrazine fourth stage.[9]
A Shavit LK air launched satellite launcher was proposed by ISA and Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI). The booster would have been a standard Shavit-1 or Shavit-2 without a first stage that would be dropped from a Hercules C-130 aircraft.[9]
The Shavit has been launched nine times, placing the payload into orbit six times. On the third, fifth and seventh flights, the vehicle failed before reaching space. Most non-Israeli satellites are launched eastward to gain a boost from the Earth's rotational speed. However, the Shavit is launched westward (retrograde orbit) over the Mediterranean to avoid flying and dropping spent rocket stages over populated areas in Israel and neighboring Arab countries. The Shavit is also said to be made available for commercial launches in the near future. Of the seven launches two are the basic Shavit, four are the Shavit-1 and the last one being Shavit-2. The September 2004 failure of the Shavit resulted in the destruction of the $100 million Ofeq 6 spy satellite. Israel has announced that it may use the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, developed by India's ISRO for future Ofeq launches.
| Variant | Date of Launch | Launch Location | Payload | Mission Status |
| Shavit | 19 September 1988 | Palmachim Airbase | Ofeq 1 | Success, experimental payload |
| Shavit | 3 April 1990 | Palmachim Airbase | Ofeq 2 | Success, experimental payload |
| Shavit | 15 September 1994 | Palmachim Airbase | Ofeq ? | Failure, unknown payload[10] |
| Shavit-1 | 5 April 1995 | Palmachim Airbase | Ofeq 3 | Success, first operational satellite in orbit |
| Shavit-1 | 22 January 1998 | Palmachim Airbase | Ofeq 4 | Failure |
| Shavit-1 | 28 May 2002 | Palmachim Airbase | Ofeq 5 | Success, second operational satellite in orbit |
| Shavit-1 | 6 September 2004 | Palmachim Airbase | Ofeq 6 | Failure |
| Shavit-2 | 11 June 2007 | Palmachim Airbase | Ofeq 7 | Success, third operational satellite in orbit |
| Shavit-2 | 22 June 2010 | Palmachim Airbase | Ofeq 9 | Success [11] |
The September 2004 failure of the Shavit resulted in the destruction of the $100 million Ofeq 6 spy satellite. Israel has announced that it will use the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, developed by India's ISRO for future Ofeq launches. There was widespread criticism about that decision of using PSLV for Ofeq launches as some quarters wanted to use only Shavit for launch for reasons of national pride. The followup Ofeq 7 was successfully launched on a Shavit rocket in 2007. Israel also launched TecSAR SAR satellite on India's PSLV on January 21, 2008.
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