
"Smartphone In Space": All About Dror-1, Israel's 'Next Gen' Satellite
What Is Dror-1?
Dror-1 is a geostationary satellite, meaning it orbits at a fixed position approximately 36,000 km above the Earth's equator, maintaining constant coverage over a specific geographic area, as per YNet News.
Weighing around 4.5 tonnes (4,500 kg) and measuring 17.8 metres across, Dror-1 is expected to serve Israel's communication needs for the next 15 years, extending its utility into the late 2030s. The project has cost Israel an estimated Rs 1,670 crore since work began in 2018.
Features Of Dror-1
Advanced Digital Payload: Includes cutting-edge signal processing technologies.
"Space Smartphone" Technology: Enables flexible, software-defined communication capabilities, allowing the satellite to adapt to changing demands during its operational life.
Built 100 per cent In Israel: Developed with entirely local technologies to reduce reliance on foreign components or vendors.
How Israel's Dror-1 Satellite Works
Israel's Dror-1 is a next-generation communications satellite designed for long-term national use, and it operates using a combination of advanced digital systems, geostationary positioning, and flexible reprogrammable payloads.
Launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, Dror-1 was inserted into a geostationary transfer orbit (GTO). Within hours of launch, it sent back its first signals.
Over the next few weeks, it will use onboard propulsion systems to manoeuvre into its final geostationary orbit, around 36,000 km above Earth, where it will remain fixed over a specific region. This orbit allows Dror-1 to maintain constant communication coverage over Israel and surrounding areas.
What makes Dror-1 special is its "smartphone in space" design, meaning it can be reprogrammed from the ground during its 15-year life. It can change communication settings, coverage areas, and signal use based on need.
Dror-1 is Israel's first state-owned communications satellite.
Until now, Israel's communication satellites, like the Amos series, were built by IAI but owned and operated by the private company Spacecom. That model suffered a major setback in 2016, when Amos-6 was destroyed on the launchpad in a SpaceX explosion.
In 2018, the government adopted a long-term national strategy for communications satellites, focusing on domestic production, sovereign control, and strategic independence.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)

First Post
12 minutes ago
- First Post
PM Modi's visit to Bihar: Projects worth Rs 7,000 crore to be unveiled
The projects are related to diverse sectors of Bihar, including railways, national highways and roads, rural development, animal husbandry and dairy farming, and Information Technology read more Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch development projects worth more than Rs 7,000 crore during his visit to Bihar on Friday, a senior party leader said. According to state BJP president Dilip Jaiswal, Modi will address a public meeting at Gandhi Maidan in Motihari town, the headquarters of East Champaran district. 'That Bihar is high on the Prime Minister's agenda can be gauged from the fact that he will be visiting the state for the 53rd time since he assumed power. The state will be showered with development projects worth Rs 7,196 crore,' Jaiswal said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD He added that the projects are related to diverse sectors, including railways, national highways and roads, rural development, animal husbandry and dairy farming, and Information Technology. 'The projects relating to railways are worth Rs 5,398 crore while national highways and roads would account for another Rs 1,173 crore. IT projects, aimed at strengthening digital infrastructure, would involve a cost of Rs 63 crore,' Jaiswal said. The BJP leader also said that at the function, the PM will disburse an amount of Rs 162 crore, through direct cash transfer, to 40,000 beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awas Yojana while another 12,000 people will be handed over the keys to their new houses. 'In addition, financial assistance of Rs 400 crore will be extended to 61,500 self-help groups during the function. Bihar, which sees Modi as family, awaits the PM eagerly,' Jaiswal added.


Time of India
24 minutes ago
- Time of India
IIT-BHU alumnus gifts Rs 13.7cr for infra
Varanasi: The Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi, received a philanthropic contribution of Rs 13.7 crore from its alumnus Dev Goswami, a 1974 graduate from the department of Mechanical Engineering to support the construction of a state-of-the-art Dev & Vardhana Goswami Lecture Hall Complex. The complex was inaugurated on Monday by Dev Goswami and his wife, Dr Vardhana Goswami. Designed to meet the growing needs of undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral students, the lecture hall complex features three floors of modern classrooms and collaborative learning spaces, accommodating up to 1,850 students. Dev Goswami is the founder of IPS – Integrated Project Services, headquartered in Pennsylvania, USA. -BHU director prof Amit Patra appreciated the gift. tnn and said that Goswami's extraordinary generosity reflects the spirit and strength of the alumni community.
&w=3840&q=100)

First Post
42 minutes ago
- First Post
'Holding family in arms felt like home': Shubhanshu Shukla's emotional reunion with family in Houston
Shubhanshu Shukla has etched his name in history as the first Indian to orbit aboard the International Space Station and only the second Indian to venture into space, following Rakesh Sharma's 1984 mission read more Emotional images of Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla reuniting with his family following Tuesday's (July 15) splashdown have emerged on social media. Shukla, who just completed 1an 8-day journey aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and became the first Indian to do so, was greeted by his family at a designated facility in Houston. Kamna, Shubhanshu Shukla's mother, wrapped her arms around him in a tearful embrace, overcome with emotion as she reunited with her son. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Shukla then scooped up his four-year-old son, who had been with him in the US, in a heartfelt hug. It was the first time the astronaut had seen his family in nearly two months, having been in quarantine for over a month before the launch. Shukla, in his Instagram post, mentioned how it was challenging for him to stay away from family, and that reuniting 'felt like home'. 'It was challenging. Coming back to Earth and holding my family back in my arms felt like home. Find a loved one today and tell them that you love them. We often get busy in life and forget how important the people in our lives are. Human spaceflight missions are magical but they are made magical by the humans,' wrote Shukla. The quarantine, initially set for 15 days, kept extending, making the reunion even more emotional. Shubhanshu Shukla has etched his name in history as the first Indian to orbit aboard the International Space Station and only the second Indian to venture into space, following Rakesh Sharma's 1984 mission. Affectionately nicknamed 'Shux' by his crewmates, Shukla undocked from the ISS on Monday afternoon (India time) and returned to Earth after a 22-hour journey aboard SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD During his time in orbit, Shukla contributed to a range of international scientific experiments in biology, materials science, and artificial intelligence. His work on the Sprouts Project, which explores plant growth in microgravity, could pave the way for sustainable farming in space, marking a significant step for future space missions.