Jupiter Over Earth

When Israel quietly launched its national space program in the late 1980s, the ambition was both simple and bold: to build its own eyes in orbit. More than three decades later, that vision has evolved into a robust national capability, centered at Elbit Systems’ ISTAR & EW Division, where engineers design and manufacture Israel’s spaceborne cameras. 

Today, these cameras serve not only Israel’s satellite fleet but also international customers, bridging the gap between intelligence needs and space high-end technology capabilities.
At the center of this story is the Jupiter Camera, the latest generation of Elbit’s high-resolution space cameras. This mission, named the NAOS satellite, was launched 2 weeks ago from Vandenberg Space force base in California, by SpaceX with the falcon 9 Rocket. 

In addition to the hardware, Elbit delivered ground-based applications and advanced algorithms that help decode satellite imagery and convert raw data into actionable insights. For customers, this means an end-to-end solution – from the orbiting optics to Specific intelligence capabilities.

Seeing players on a football field from 300 Miles Away

The technology itself pushes the boundaries of what’s possible in space-based imaging. With resolution below 20 inches per pixel, satellites orbiting 300 miles above Earth can spot objects as small as players on a football field from 300 miles away, achieving a level of clarity that challenges the capabilities of current technologies.

The Earth’s atmosphere bends, absorbs, and scatters light, distorting the view from space. As one engineer puts it, it’s similar to the illusion of a pencil appearing bent in a glass of water – the air itself acts like a shifting lens.
Elbit’s advanced solution stands out for its exceptional aperture – widening the camera’s eye to capture more light while aiming to minimize material to reduce weight to extreme lightness. For Elbit, weight is more than just a constraint; it’s a strategic imperative.

Because countries traditionally launches satellites westward – against the Earth’s rotation – every added pound requires exponentially more energy to reach orbit. This limitation has driven Elbit to pioneer ultra-lightweight mirrors, engineered with honeycomb structures that maintain strength while reducing mass by up to 90 percent.

Weight is only one of many challenges. The cameras must survive the violent acoustic and  vibrations of launch, then endure years in the vacuum of space – where heat can’t dissipate, radiation corrodes electronics, and temperature swings can shift from +300°F to -240°F in minutes.

Even oxygen atoms at orbital altitudes behave like acid, slowly eroding exposed surfaces. And then there’s debris: fragments of old satellites and rockets, any one of which could destroy a payload in an instant. In space, there are no repairs. Reliability has to be designed, tested, and proven long before liftoff.
That level of rigor is visible on the ground. At Elbit, shakers simulate the intense vibrations of launch. Thermal vacuum chambers push hardware through extreme heat and cold cycles.
Redundancy is built into every system, ensuring that no single failure can jeopardize a mission. Throughout the mission, engineers tackle phenomena unique to space: from blinding flashes caused by high-energy particles streaking through optics, to the corrosive bite of atomic oxygen, to the precise calibrations required in zero gravity.

Weighs Less, Sees More

Jupiter is more than a technical milestone – it marks a step forward in how space technology is delivered. Beyond Ultra-High-Resolution (UHR) imagery, it supports civilian missions like mapping, disaster response, and environmental monitoring.
It also signals Elbit’s preparation for taking on the next challenge: constellations of satellites operating in coordinated networks. In these systems, the goal isn’t just sharper images, but broader coverage and continuous observation – enabling more scalable, cost-effective solutions for governments and industries alike.
In this sense, Jupiter is both a breakthrough and a gateway. It encapsulates decades of Israeli expertise in optics, materials, and systems engineering – condensed into a camera that weighs less but sees more.