Israeli air force base in central Israel on the Mediterranean coast also used as a spaceport. Built in the 1960s, the base is primarily a test site for Israel’s Jericho ballistic missile and its Arrow missile defence systems. The first space launch occurred in 1998 with a Shavit rocket carrying the Ofeq-1 into Earth orbit, making Israel the ninth nation to achieve such a goal. All launches from Palmachim are aimed west toward the Mediterranean Sea in order to prevent rocket debris from landing onto the territories of Israel’s eastern neighbours.