cancelled completely due to pressure from the U.S. Government. Indian and Israeli authorities denied this, however, citing technical problems instead. In Israel, it was rumoured that the launch had been delayed due to Iranian pressure on the Indian government. However, this was eventually proven to be baseless speculation. Orbit TecSAR-1 was placed into a low Earth orbit with an apogee of , a perigee of , and an equatorial inclination of 41°. Mission It is capable of imaging with a resolution of up to 10 centimetres, through an X-band radar system. The satellite's maximum resolution is believed to be around 1 metre. TecSAR-1 is the first Israeli satellite to feature Synthetic Aperture Radar, or SAR, which will provide images day or night and under all weather conditions. The satellite is being operated by Israel Aerospace Industries. TecSAR-1 started transmitting high quality images from 1 February 2008. The first image transmitted was that of the Latrun memorial monument. Strategic significance TecSAR-1 considerably enhances Israel's intelligence-gathering capability. The satellite could potentially be the start of new strategic relations between Israel and India, and could affect the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. Israeli media discussed the strategic significance of the satellite, particularly with regard to Iran. It was reported that TecSAR-1's ability to produce images in adverse weather and at night would allow Israel to obtain more information about the suspected Iranian nuclear weapons program. The Jerusalem Post 21 January 2008 accessed 13 February 2008</ref> It was also reported that it would be capable of producing images of Iranian activities which previous satellites were unable to view. Another report claimed that should Israel enter a conflict with Iran in the future, information provided by TecSAR-1 could prove critical. Iranian reaction A fortnight after the launch, Iranian Ambassador Seyed Mehdi Nabitzadeh announced in a press conference in New Delhi that he had conveyed Iran's point of view to the Indian government regarding the launch. He emphasized his hope that "wise and independent countries like India do not give their advanced space technologies to launch spying operations against Iran". The Indians however stress that the launch was purely a commercial one. See also 2008 in spaceflight Israel Aerospace Industries India-Israel relations RISAT Ofeq Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle Spy satellite Synthetic aperture radar References External links India and Israel Eye Iran Foreign Policy in Focus Reconnaissance satellites of Israel Synthetic aperture radar satellites Elta products