Israel is to launch a sophisticated spy satellite to monitor Iran’s nuclear installations.

The TecSar satellite, which is the first Israeli satellite with Synthetic Aperture Radar capabilities, uses radar technology to create high-resolution images of objects on earth even in cloudy conditions, newspaper The Jerusalem Post reported.

TecSar, developed by Israel Aerospace industries, weighs just over 300kg and will be launched by an Indian rocket in September.

A senior defence official told the newspaper the satellite will be a ‘major leap’ for the Israel Defence Forces.

“This will enhance our intelligence gathering capabilities, and its successful launch will place Israel as one of the leading countries in the world in satellite development,” he says.

By staff writer