A sophisticated Israeli spy satellite plummeted into the Mediterranean Sea shortly after launch, dealing a blow to Israeli efforts to keep an eye on Iran's alleged nuclear weapons program.
"An unsuccessful attempt was made to launch into orbit a remote sensing satellite," the defense ministry said in a terse announcement Monday, just after the top secret launch from the seaside Palmachim air force base in southern Israel.
The Ofek-6 satellite fell into the sea near the port city of Ashdod. No injuries were reported.
However, other spy satellites are still in orbit, taking high-resolution pictures and relaying them to Israel.
Israel, a world leader in satellite technology, relies heavily on its space-based cameras to monitor activities in Arab countries. The Ofek-5 satellite, launched in 2002, overflies Iran, Iraq, and Syria.
Israel hoped the Ofek-6 would enhance its coverage of these countries, in particular Iran, experts said.
"Israel wanted to use this [satellite] to monitor the Iranian nuclear developments and also things like their surface-to-surface missiles," said military expert Shlomo Brom, a retired general.
Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said a replacement for Ofek-6 would be launched. "It might be with a delay, but it will go up," he said, without giving a date.
"We have to be on the satellite map," he said. Monday's failure cost an estimated $US50 million.
Israel believes Iran is moving forward with a nuclear weapons program and has intensified efforts to isolate Tehran diplomatically.
On Monday, Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom again asked his visiting Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, to help contain Iranian nuclear ambitions.
Lavrov replied that Russia's nuclear cooperation with Iran was under the regulations of the International Atomic Energy Agency and did not pose a threat.
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