The Country That Launched Backwards

Back in 1988, Israel became the 8th country in the world to launch its own satellite into space using its own orbital rocket, the Shavit.

But here’s the twist: Israel launched the satellite westward, against the Earth’s rotation. In 1988, Israel became the first country in the world to launch... backwards.

Why? Because launching east would have meant flying over hostile neighbors.

That decision came with a cost: reduced efficiency and far more complex engineering.

But it was a tradeoff Israel was willing to make for the sake of security and secrecy. To overcome the challenge, Israeli engineers developed some of the smallest and most energy-efficient satellites in the world.

Fast-forward to today: the Ofek satellite program provides Israel with independent, real-time intelligence from orbit. And the #StartupNation has earned a reputation for building miniature satellites that punch well above their weight.