Israel Launches $200M Dror 1 Satellite from Florida

Israel has successfully launched its new national communications satellite, Dror 1, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

The launch took place at 1:04 am local time (0504 GMT) on Sunday, according to Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and the country’s foreign ministry.

Dubbed a "$200 million smartphone in space," Dror 1 is designed to support both strategic and civilian communications for the next 15 years, the foreign ministry said in a post on X.

Video footage of the launch showed the reusable two-stage Falcon 9 rocket lifting off into the night sky.

IAI described the mission as "a historic leap for Israeli space technology," calling Dror 1 the most advanced communications satellite ever built in Israel.

The launch marked a significant comeback following the 2016 failure, when a Falcon 9 rocket exploded during a test in Florida, destroying Israel's Amos-6 satellite, which was estimated to cost up to $300 million.