Shavit

Function	Expendable launch vehicle
Manufacturer	Israel Aerospace Industries
Country of origin	Israel
Size
Height	26.4 m (86.6 ft)
Diameter	2.3 m (7.5 ft)
Mass	30,500 - 70,000 kg (67,200 - 154,000 lb)
Stages	4
Capacity
Payload to LEO	350-800kg[1] (770-1760 lb)
Launch history
Status	Active
Launch sites	Palmachim Airbase
Total launches	9
Successes	6
Failures	3
Maiden flight	19 September 1988
First Stage (Shavit LeoLink LK-1) - LK-1
Engines	LK-1
Thrust	774.0 kN (174,002 lbf)
Specific impulse	268 sec
Burn time	55 seconds
Fuel	HTPB
First Stage (Shavit LeoLink LK-2) - Castor 120
Engines
Thrust	1650.2kN (370,990 lbf)
Specific impulse	280 sec
Burn time	82 sec
Fuel	HTPB polymer, Class1.3 C
Second Stage - LK-1
Engines	1 LK-1
Thrust	774.0 kN
Specific impulse	268 sec
Burn time	55 sec
Fuel	HTPB
Third Stage - RSA-3-3
Engines	1 RSA-3-3
Thrust	58.8 kN
Specific impulse	298 sec
Burn time	94 seconds
Fuel	Solid
Fourth Stage - LK-4
Engines	1 LK-4
Thrust	402 kN
Specific impulse	200 sec
Burn time	800 seconds
Fuel	N2O4/UDMH

Shavit (Hebrew: "comet" - שביט) is a space launch vehicle produced by Israel to launch small satellites into low earth orbit. It was first launched on September 19, 1988 (carrying an Ofeq satellite payload), making Israel the eighth country to have a space launch capability after the USSR, United States, France, Japan, People's Republic of China, United Kingdom and India.

Shavit rockets are launched from Palmachim Airbase by the Israeli Space Agency into a highly retrograde orbit over the Mediterranean Sea to prevent debris coming down in populated areas and also to avoid flying over nations hostile to Israel to the east; this results in a lower payload-to-orbit than east-directed launches would allow. The launcher consists of three stages powered by solid fuel rocket motors, with an optional liquid fuel fourth stage, and is manufactured by IAI.

Development[link]

The development of Shavit began in 1982.^[2] Shavit was a three-stage, solid-propellant launcher designed to carry payloads up to 250 kg into low earth orbit. It was speculated for some time and later confirmed that the first two stages of the Shavit were that of the Jericho II missile.^[3]

Shavit was first launched in 1988 and because of its geographic location and hostile relations with surrounding countries, Israel had to launch it to the west, over the Mediterranean Sea, in order to avoid flying over those hostile territories to its east. The practice has continued ever since.^[4]

Vehicle Description[link]

The first of the Shavit vehicles were a small, 3-stage, solid propellant booster based on the 2-stage Jericho-II ballistic missile and developed under the general management of Israeli Aircraft Industries and in particular its MBT System and Space Technology subsidiary. Israel Military Industries produces the first and second stage motors, while RAFAEL is responsible for the third stage motor.^[5]

A planned commercial Shavit upgrade was called Next. This name is no longer used, and this proposed upgrade configuration is now called Shavit-2. Both first and second stages of the Shavit-2 use the stretched motor design of the Shavit-1 first stage.

Proposed LK civilian launch variants[link]

In 1998 Israel Space Agency partnered with U.S. Coleman Research Corporation (now a division of L-3 Communications) to develop the LK family of small launch vehicles.^[6] In 2001 a new French joint-venture, LeoLink, between Astrium and Israel Aircraft Industries, was created to market the LK variant.^[7] It is believed that in 2002 development of the LK variant was discontinued.^[8]

The LK-1 was closely based on the Shavit-2, but with motors and other components built in the United States to satisfy U.S. government requirements.^[6] The LK-2 was a larger vehicle using a Thiokol Castor 120 motor as its first stage. The third stage was either a standard AUS-51 motor built under license by Atlantic Research Corp., or a Thiokol Star 48 motor. All launch vehicles would have had a small monopropellant hydrazine fourth stage.^[9]

• LK-A - for 350 kg-class satellites in 240 x 600 km elliptical polar orbits.
• LK-1 - for 350 kg-class satellites in 700 km circular polar orbits.
• LK-2 - for 800 kg-class satellites in 700 km circular polar orbits.

A Shavit LK air launched satellite launcher was proposed by ISA and Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI). The booster would have been a standard Shavit-1 or Shavit-2 without a first stage that would be dropped from a Hercules C-130 aircraft.^[9]

Launch history[link]

The Shavit has been launched nine times, placing the payload into orbit six times. On the third, fifth and seventh flights, the vehicle failed before reaching space. Most non-Israeli satellites are launched eastward to gain a boost from the Earth's rotational speed. However, the Shavit is launched westward (retrograde orbit) over the Mediterranean to avoid flying and dropping spent rocket stages over populated areas in Israel and neighboring Arab countries. The Shavit is also said to be made available for commercial launches in the near future. Of the seven launches two are the basic Shavit, four are the Shavit-1 and the last one being Shavit-2. The September 2004 failure of the Shavit resulted in the destruction of the $100 million Ofeq 6 spy satellite. Israel has announced that it may use the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, developed by India's ISRO for future Ofeq launches.

Variant	Date of Launch	Launch Location	Payload	Mission Status
Shavit	19 September 1988	Palmachim Airbase	Ofeq 1	Success, experimental payload
Shavit	3 April 1990	Palmachim Airbase	Ofeq 2	Success, experimental payload
Shavit	15 September 1994	Palmachim Airbase	Ofeq ?	Failure, unknown payload[10]
Shavit-1	5 April 1995	Palmachim Airbase	Ofeq 3	Success, first operational satellite in orbit
Shavit-1	22 January 1998	Palmachim Airbase	Ofeq 4	Failure
Shavit-1	28 May 2002	Palmachim Airbase	Ofeq 5	Success, second operational satellite in orbit
Shavit-1	6 September 2004	Palmachim Airbase	Ofeq 6	Failure
Shavit-2	11 June 2007	Palmachim Airbase	Ofeq 7	Success, third operational satellite in orbit
Shavit-2	22 June 2010	Palmachim Airbase	Ofeq 9	Success [11]

Criticism[link]

The September 2004 failure of the Shavit resulted in the destruction of the $100 million Ofeq 6 spy satellite. Israel has announced that it will use the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, developed by India's ISRO for future Ofeq launches.^{[citation needed]} There was widespread criticism about that decision of using PSLV for Ofeq launches as some quarters wanted to use only Shavit for launch for reasons of national pride. The followup Ofeq 7 was successfully launched on a Shavit rocket in 2007. Israel also launched TecSAR SAR satellite on India's PSLV on January 21, 2008.

Comparable solid fuel rockets[link]

• ASLV
• Minotaur
• Mu
• KSLV-2
• Pegasus
• Start-1
• VLS-1

See also[link]

• Comparison of orbital launchers families
• Comparison of orbital launch systems

References[link]

v t e Expendable launch systems Current Spaceflight portal Ariane 5 Atlas V Delta II IV Dnepr-1 GSLV H-IIA H-IIB Kaituozhe-1 Kosmos-3M Long March 1D 2C 2D 2F 3A 3B 3C 4B 4C Minotaur I IV Naro-1 Paektusan Pegasus Proton-M PSLV Rokot Safir Shavit Shtil' Start-1 Strela Soyuz U FG 2 Taurus Tsyklon-2 Unha Vega VLS-1 Volna Zenit 2 2M 3SL 3SLB 3F Planned Angara Antares Athena Ic IIc Ausroc IV Epsilon GSLV III Haas Long March 5 6 7 Minotaur V Naro-2 Rocket Lab RPS (420, 550) Simorgh SLS Southern Cross Soyuz-2-1v SPARK Tsyklon-4 VLM VLS-Alfa VLS-Beta Previous Ariane 1 2 3 4 ASLV Athena I II Atlas B D E/F G H I II III LV-3B SLV-3 Able Agena Centaur Black Arrow Conestoga Delta A B C D E G J L M N 0100 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 III Diamant Energia Europa Falcon 1‡ Feng Bao 1 H-I H-II J-I Juno I Juno II Kosmos 1 2I 3 Lambda 4S Long March 1 2A 2E 3 4A Mu 4S 3C 3H 3S 3SII V) N1 N-I N-II Pilot Proton UR-500 K R-7 Luna Molniya M Polyot Soyuz L M U2 Soyuz/Vostok Sputnik Voskhod Vostok L K 2 2M Saturn I IB V INT-21 Scout SLV Sparta Thor Able Ablestar Agena Burner Delta DSV-2U Thorad-Agena Titan II GLV IIIA IIIB IIIC IIID IIIE 34D 23G CT-3 IV Tsyklon 3 Vanguard ‡ – Falcon 1 was designed for partial reuse. However, recovery failed on the first three flights and the remaining vehicles were flown expendably.

Coordinates: 31°54′N 34°42′E / 31.9°N 34.7°E / 31.9; 34.7

David J. Wolpe (born 1958) is an author, public speaker and rabbi of Sinai Temple (Los Angeles, California). Named the most influential Rabbi in America by ''Newsweek Magazine'' (2012) and one of the 50 most influential Jews in the world by the ''Jerusalem Post'' (2012), he is considered a leader of the Conservative Jewish movement. Wolpe was named one of The Forward's Forward 50, and one of the hundred most influential people in Los Angeles by Los Angeles magazine. Author of six books and a regular weekly column in The Jewish Week, Wolpe became the focus of international controversy when he gave a Passover sermon that discussed the historic validity of the Exodus from Egypt. In April 2012 he was named America's most influential rabbi by Newsweek and The Daily Beast^[1].

Career[link]

Wolpe has taught at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in New York, and served as assistant to the Chancellor of that institution; at the University of Judaism (now the American Jewish University) in Los Angeles; and at Hunter College in New York. At UCLA he teaches modern Jewish religious thought.^{[citation needed]} Wolpe is a regular contributor to several publications such as The Jewish Week, The Jerusalem Post, Los Angeles Times. He frequently is featured on documentaries on Biblical topics produced by A&E Networks (A&E, The Biography Channel, History Channel and History Channel International). He has also appeared as a commentator on CNN and CBS This Morning. Wolpe's most recent book, Why Faith Matters, is both an answer to books about atheism and a recounting of his battle with illness (he has undergone surgery for a brain tumor and chemotherapy for lymphoma). In 2008 and 2009, he had public debates with Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, Steven Pinker, Roger Cohen,^[2][3][4] and Indian yogi and mystic Sadhguru, among others.^{[citation needed]}

Wolpe is the head rabbi of Sinai Temple (Los Angeles, California).

Missions to Israel[link]

Wolpe has led three missions to Israel since 2002. The first, in June 2002, was a solidarity mission at the height of the Second Intifada that broke out after the Camp David peace talks. The second, in May 2005, was a mission of gratitude to pick up the Torah commissioned in honor of his recovery from brain surgery.^[5] The third, in July 2006, at the height of the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War, was another solidarity mission that covered Jerusalem, Haifa, and Sderot. Wolpe also led the largest American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) delegation ever assembled from one synagogue (230 people) to the AIPAC conference in Washington in 2008.

Historicity of the Exodus[link]

On Passover 2001, Wolpe told his congregation that "the way the Bible describes the Exodus is not the way it happened, if it happened at all." Casting doubt on the historicity of the Exodus during the holiday that commemorates it brought condemnation from congregants and several rabbis (especially Orthodox Rabbis). The ensuing theological debate included whole issues of Jewish newspapers such as the Jewish Journal in Los Angeles and editorials in The Jerusalem Post, as well as an article in the Los Angeles Times. Critics asserted that Wolpe was attacking Jewish oral history, the significance of Passover and even the First Commandment.^{[citation needed]} Wolpe asserted that he was arguing that the historicity of the events should not matter, since he believes faith is not determined by the same criteria as empirical truth. Wolpe argues that his views are based on the fact that no archeological digs have produced evidence of the Jews wandering the Sinai Desert for forty years, and that excavations in Israel consistently show settlement patterns at variance with the Biblical account of a sudden influx of Jews from Egypt.

In March 2010, Wolpe expounded on his views saying that it was possible that a small group of people left Egypt, came to Canaan, and influenced the native Canaanites with their traditions. He added that the controversy of 2001 stemmed from the fact that Conservative Jewish congregations have been slow to accept and embrace biblical criticism. Conservative rabbis, on the other hand, are taught biblical criticism in rabbinical school.^[6]

Covenantal Judaism[link]

On November 10, 2005, Rabbi Wolpe addressed the Jewish Theological Seminary and proposed that the name of Conservative Judaism be changed to "Covenantal Judaism," to better encompass the view that rabbinic law is both binding and evolving.

Bibliography[link]

• The Healer of Shattered Hearts: A Jewish View of God (1991) ISBN 0-14-014795-0
• In Speech and In Silence: The Jewish Quest for God (1992) ISBN 0-8050-2816-1
• Teaching your Children About God: A Modern Jewish Approach (1995) ISBN 0-06-097647-0. Wolpe believes that nurturing children spiritually leads to greater intellectual and emotional enlightenment.
• Why be Jewish? (1995) ISBN 0-8050-3927-9
• Making Loss Matter: Creating Meaning in Difficult Times (1999) ISBN 1-57322-820-6. Wolpe recognizes the ultimate human potential to find strength from loss. He tells stories from his own life in addition to relaying lessons from ancient stories, rabbis, poets, philosophers, and scholars.
• Floating Takes Faith: Ancient Wisdom for a Modern World (2004) ISBN 0-87441-733-3. This collection of essays, explores some of the most challenging questions for the modern Jew. It considers how Jews live today and how ancient Jewish values shape the contemporary Jew’s understanding of his place in the modern world.
• Why Faith Matters, Wolpe's latest book asserts religion’s place in the modern world.

References[link]

External links[link]

• [1] The Daily Beast (2012)
• [2] The Jerusalem Post (2012)
• Covenental Judaism Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles (2005)
• CNN Interview November 1, 2001
• PBS Interview on the Afterlife
• Sinai Temple webpage
• Exodus Controversy
• Orthodox critique
• David Wolpe: Gems of Compressed Wisdom, Jewish Current Issues
• Wolpe's author profile
• Sam Harris vs Rabbi David Wolpe - Does God Exist?

Bradley Shavit (Brad) Artson (born 1959) is an American rabbi, author, speaker, and the occupant of the Abner and Roslyn Goldstine Dean's Chair of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies at the American Jewish University in Los Angeles, California, where he is Vice-President. He supervises the Louis and Judith Miller Introduction to Judaism Program and provides educational and religious oversight for Camp Ramah of California.

Education and career[link]

Born and raised in San Francisco, Artson holds the A.B. Degree from Harvard College, cum laude, in 1981. As an undergraduate, he served as the LBJ Intern for United States Representative Burton and was an intern for United States Senator Alan Cranston. Following graduation, Artson was a Legislative Assistant to the Speaker of the California Assembly for two years and was ordained with honors by the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1988. He wrote his first book, Love Peace and Pursue Peace: A Jewish Response to War and Nuclear Annihilation while in rabbinical school. During his last year at rabbinical school, he served as the part time rabbinic intern at Bolton Street Synagogue in Baltimore.

For 10 years, Artson served as the Rabbi of Congregation Eilat in Mission Viejo, which grew under his tenure from about 200 families to over 600. During that period, his Introduction to Judaism course helped over 200 people convert to Judaism, and 10 of his congregants have entered the rabbinate in turn.

From 1998 - 1999, Artson was a member of the Senior Management of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles and served as the Executive Vice President of the Board of Rabbis of Southern California. In 1999, he began his work at the University of Judaism (now the American Jewish University). In addition to his work as Rabbinical School Dean and University Vice-President, Rabbi Artson received his D.H.L. at the Hebrew Union College -Jewish Institute of Religion in Contemporary Jewish Theology, under the supervision of Rabbi Dr. David Ellenson.

His scholarly fields are Jewish philosophy and theology, particularly a process approach integrating contemporary scientific insights from cosmology, quantum physics, evolutionary theory and neuroscience to a dynamic view of God, Torah, Mitzvot and ethics. He is a charter member of the Society for the Study of Judaism and Science.

Leadership[link]

A prominent leader of Conservative Judaism, Artson serves on the Leadership Council of Conservative Judaism. He writes a weekly Torah commentary that has over 13,000 internet subscribers. He is the author of 5 books, most recently The Bedside Torah: Wisdom, Visions & Dreams and Gift of Soul, Gift of Wisdom: Spiritual Resources for Leadership and Mentoring and he has written over 190 articles in several magazines.

In 2008, Artson ordained Rabbi Gershom Sizomu, the leader of the Abayudaya Tribe and participated a rabbinic delegation to Uganda to install him as the first African Rabbi in Subsaharan Africa. While in Africa he joined a Beit Din in converting 250 Africans from Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, and Uganda. A Regional Chief bestowed upon him the African name Walusansa Salongo.

Artson launched the WALKING WITH … series, an annual series of books distributed free of charge and available on the web as complimentary PDF files [1]. In 2007 he produced Walking With God, in 2008, Walking With Justice, in 2009, Walking With Life, and in 2010, Walking With the Jewish Calendar. For the past few years he has also produced an annual Selichot DVD, Choose Life, a series of conversations with Rabbi Artson, Rabbi David Wolpe, and Rabbi Edward Feinstein. It can be viewed at [2]. Under his direction, the Ziegler School sponsors a podcast page link that presents the monthly discussions of Rabbi Artson, a Rebbe's Tish of Reb Mimi Feigelson, lessons on the Siddur and prayer by Rabbi Elliot Dorff, and a Halakhah Yomi by Rabbi Aaron Alexander.

Artson has served on the faculty of the Wexner Heritage Foundation and as a speaker for UJC/Federation communities.

Personal[link]

Artson is married to Elana Shavit Artson, and they are the parents of twins, Shira and Jacob.

Bibliography[link]

• The Everyday Torah: Weekly Reflections and Inspirations (McGraw Hill)
• Gift of Soul, Gift of Wisdom: Spiritual Resources for Leadership & Mentoring (Behrman House)
• The Bedside Torah: Wisdom, Visions, and Dreams (McGraw Hill)
• It's A Mitzvah! (Behrman House)
• Making A Difference (Behrman House)
• Love Peace & Pursue Peace (United Synagogue)
• Jewish Answers to Real-Life Questions (Alef Design Group)
• I Have Some Questions About God (Torah Aura Productions)

See also[link]

• American philosophy
• List of American philosophers

External links[link]

• Rabbi Artson's website
• Some of Rabbi Artson's speeches