Cairo: The satellite Israeli intelligence officials said Egypt is launching to "spy on the region is not for that purpose, analysts have told The Daily Star Egypt. Israeli intelligence officials had claimed that Egypt was to launch a spy satellite from Kazakhstan Tuesday to be deployed over the Middle East. However, Military Studies Expert at Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies Mohammed Abdel-Salam said the new satellite was for research and experimentation purposes only. "It is neither a military nor communications satellite, Abdel-Salam said, "and bears no relation to any spying or espionage. Rather, it is a "research and experimental satellite, to train personnel on satellite launching, according to Abdel-Salam. A senior researcher from Israel's military Fisher Brothers Institute for Air and Space Strategic Studies, Tal Inbar, had told YNetNews that the Egyptstat 1 satellite would be able to transmit satellite images of low resolution, and estimated that the fitted cameras were capable of detecting objects greater than 13 feet. The report added that the satellite was built by a Ukrainian company, Yuzhnoe Design, according to Inbar, and would orbit at an altitude of 410 miles. The device weighed 220 pounds. Abdel-Salam dismissed the reports emanating from the Israeli and Western press about it being a spy satellite. "This is tabloid press style reporting as a result of existing paranoia. The papers are getting carried away, he said.
