Israel is working to sharpen its eyes in space, enlisting Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) to improve the optical and radar payloads of the spy satellites serving the nation's intelligence community. The company is developing a new generation of satellites for even more complex missions, using nanosatellite production and electric propulsion concepts.IAI has been building very light, agile spy satellites for years. Its Ofek series spy satellites, for example, weigh up to 815 lb. (369 kg) each. They provide an unclassified resolution of about 19 in. (50 cm), an improvement over the past three years that IAI is looking to enhance. "Resolution is, of course, very important, but we also work on improving the color quality of the images," says Opher Doron, general manager of IAI's space division. "A good intelligence expert does not need color to extract the needed intelligence from a satellite image, but when it comes to decision-makers, color is of great importance."
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