Senior defense officials reportedly fear 4iG's purchase of majority stake in Spacecom, the operator of the AMOS, could undermine one of Israel's most important strategic tools

Last month, the Israel-based satellite services company said it was in talks for a 51% stake to go to another Hungarian telecom firm, 4iG

Shares surge in Tel Aviv, following news of the signing of a non-binding letter of intent for acquisition of 51% stake for NIS 215 million ($66 million)

3 years after launchpad explosion destroyed Amos-6, Spacecom's newest satellite is launched from Cape Canaveral

Spacecom's satellite was scheduled to take off from Cape Canaveral early Sunday, Israel time; delay due to suspect faulty valve on Falcon 9 rocket

Amos-17 satellite will be launched early Thursday, Israel time, from Cape Canaveral in Florida atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket