Israel Launches New Spy Satellite amid Discomfort over Commercial Blurring

Israel has launched what it is calling the Ofek (Horizon) 16 satellite, which analysts believe will add to the country’s ability to snap sharp intelligence photos from space. The early-Monday launch took place at the Palmachim Airbase south of Tel Aviv. Israel tries to keep close tabs on hostile neighbors – especially Iran – in a number of ways, including through photo reconnaissance. The new satellite was put into orbit just days after a US regulatory agency relaxed restrictions on commercial satellite imagery firms, such as those that provide material to Google Maps, when they photograph security-conscious Israel. Until now, these firms had to blur items under 6.5 feet in width, but with foreign providers unfettered by such regulations, it appears the US government wants to give American companies a fair shake in the marketplace. The restrictions were mandated by 1997 congressional legislation that affected only those satellite images of the Jewish state. The person in charge of space programs at the Israeli Defense Ministry told the Reuters news agency: “I don’t think they [the Americans] asked us” before canceling the directive.