EROS A

The EROS A was launched on 5 December 2000, at 12:32 UTC,{{cite web|url=http://planet4589.org/space/log/launchlog.txt|title=Launch Log|publisher=Jonathan's Space Report|date=14 March 2021|access-date=9 May 2021}} from Svobodny Cosmodrome, Launch Complex-5 in eastern Siberia.{{cite web|title=EROS-A (Earth Remote Observation System-A)|url=https://directory.eoportal.org/web/eoportal/satellite-missions/e/eros-a|publisher=ESA Earth Observation Portal|access-date=9 May 2021}}

The satellite was 1.2 m in diameter, 2.3 m in height. It weighed 260 kg at launch. The design was based on the military reconnaissance satellite Ofeq-3, which was previously built, also by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) for Israeli government use.

The satellite was equipped with a three-axis stabilized and a four reaction wheels actuator. The satellite is also equipped with horizon sensors, Sun sensors, gyroscopes and magnetometer for altitude determination.{{cite web|title=EROS A|url=http://apollomapping.com/imagery/medium-resolution-satellite-imagery/eros-a|publisher=Apollo Mapping|access-date=9 May 2021}}

The satellite is equipped with a 70 Mbit/s imagery link, a 15 kbit/s maintenance downlink, and a 15 kbit/s command uplink.{{cite journal |url=http://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1996ESASP.394.1051K|title=Flight Operations Engineering for the Earth Resource Spacecraft EROS-A|last=A.|first=Klein|journal=Space Mission Operations and Ground Data Systems - Spaceops '96 |publisher=NASA|date=16-20 September 1996|volume=394 |page=1051 |bibcode=1996ESASP.394.1051K |access-date=9 May 2021}} {{PD-notice}}

The satellite always crosses the equator at 10:00 am local time. Future satellites were planned to extend the time dimension to vary the crossing time between mid-morning and mid after. This will allow it to compensate for poor visibility conditions arising from clouds at different altitudes. While the satellite's primary purpose is agricultural engineers, planners and other professionals who need detailed pictures of different places in the world, it can also be used for various other applications. The satellite provides commercial images with an optical resolution of 1.8 metres using. It has optical resolution capabilities of up to 1.2 meters. The satellite can be temporarily controlled by a customer when it passes over the areas of interest. This is used to allow the client privacy without the operator knowing what's being looked at. This capability, however, is not allowed over the State of Israel by the Israeli government.

Following its launch, the first customer announced was the Ministry of Defense of Israel, which paid about $15 million for the exclusive rights to receive all images of Israel's territory and an area within a radius of about 2,000 km. The need for the satellite's capabilities was due to the failure of the launch of the Ofek-4 satellite, two years earlier and the decay of Ofek-3.{{Cite news |title=Launch of Ofek 5 Satellite Due Soon |url=https://www.haaretz.com/1.5184509 |last=Barzilai |first=Amnon |date=2002-05-27 |work=Haaretz}}{{Cite news |title=Not the end of Israel in space |url=https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-659420 |last=Marom |first=Dror |date=2003-02-02 |access-date=2022-05-05 |work=Globes}} Other customers of the satellite were the Taiwan Defense Ministry,{{Cite news |title=Pictures for Taiwan Irk China |url=https://www.haaretz.com/1.5384512 |last=Barzilai |first=Amnon |date=2001-08-15 |work=Haaretz}} India,{{Cite news |title=India seeks pictures from Israeli Ofek 5 spy satellite |url=https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-727269 |last=Dagoni |first=Ran |date=2003-09-25 |work=Globes}} and media organizations that purchased footage from the battlefield at the start of the Afghan war, footage that competitor "Space Imaging" (Owner of Ikonos) was banned from selling by the US government.{{Cite news |title=ImageSat International selling satellite photos of Afghanistan bombing |url=https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-530125 |last=Dagoni |first=Ran |date=2001-10-23 |access-date=2022-05-05 |work=Globes}} Additionally, a database was established with photographs of the satellite that were sold to companies around the world on demand.{{Cite news |title=ImageSat starts marketing satellite services over six months after launch |url=https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-507999#! |last=Marom |first=Dror |date=2001-07-23 |access-date=2022-05-04 |work=Globes}}

The satellite increased its orbital altitude for the last time on 24 April 2012 and reentered on 7 July 2016.{{cite web|url=https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/eros-a.htm|title=EROS-A1, A2 |publisher=Gunter's Space Page|date=7 July 2020|access-date=9 May 2021}}

{{Portal|Spaceflight|Israel}}

• EROS (satellite)
• EROS-B
• Israel Space Agency
• Science and technology in Israel

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{{Orbital launches in 2000}}

Category:2000 in Israel

Category:Earth observation satellites of Israel

Category:Israel Aerospace Industries satellites

Category:Spacecraft launched in 2000