World roster → Israel Aerospace Industries
Shavit-2
Shavit-2 is an orbital launch vehicle currently flying operated by Israel Aerospace Industries of Lod, Israel, 26.4 m tall, 800 kg to low Earth orbit, 3 stages.
| Operator | Israel Aerospace Industries · Lod, Israel |
|---|---|
| Status | Currently flying |
| First flight | 1988 |
| Height | 26.4 m |
| Diameter | 2.3 m |
| Liftoff mass | 70 t |
| Stages | 3 |
| Payload to LEO | 800 kg |
| Engines | Three solid stages |
| Propellant | Solid |
| Reuse | Expendable — nothing is recovered |
| Launch sites | Palmachim Airbase |
The retrograde launch azimuth costs it roughly a third of its payload. Flies rarely, and only national reconnaissance satellites.
About Israel Aerospace Industries
Launches westward over the Mediterranean — against the Earth's rotation — because every other direction crosses a neighbour. Founded 1953.