Two observation satellites, OPTSAT3000 and Venµs, both of which were developed and built by IAI, were successfully launched to space on August 2, 2017 (Israel time) in a first-of-its kind double launch of Israeli satellites on Arianespace’s VEGA launcher in the Kourou Space Center site in French Guiana. OPTSAT3000 is an advanced observation satellite that was ordered by the Italian Ministry of defence, and supplied by the prime contractor, Telespazio, a Leonardo and Thales joint venture. Venµs is a scientific observation satellite built for Israel’s Space Agency (ISA) and its partner, the French National Center of Space Studies (CNES).
Following the launch, the two satellites have synced into their respective orbits around Earth and have started transmitting data. In the next few months the satellites will be subjected to a series of In Orbit Tests (IOT) to validate their condition and performance. The first image from Venµs is expected to be received within a week time.
Joseph Weiss, IAI President and CEO, commented from French Guiana, “Having just received the initial data from Venµs and OPTSAT3000, I would like to congratulate our partners in the Israeli and French space agencies as well as in Telespazio and the Italian ministry of defence for outstanding collaboration that has yielded breakthrough technological accomplishments. IAI will continue to lead the observation satellite field in Israel with many more projects which are already underway.”
About OPTSAT3000 and Venµs:
OPTSAT3000 is a 368-kg, high resolution observation satellite which forms part of a larger range of electro optical observation satellites manufactured by IAI and operated successfully in space. The OPTSAT3000 is very agile, offering strong maneuverability and operational flexibility, among others thanks to its weight, which is significantly lower than similar satellites around the world. This low weight was achieved by means of innovative miniaturization technology developed by IAI. The Satellite’s high resolution allows it to discern small details on ground, a feature that places it in the global forefront of observation satellites. The satellite was purchased by the Italian government in 2012 as part of inter-government agreement between the two countries.
Venµs, short for Vegetation and Environment Monitoring on a New Micro Satellite, is the first Israeli satellite developed for scientific environmental purposes as part of a joint flagship project between Israel’s space agency in the Ministry of Science and CNES, the French Space Agency. Venµs will track fields and plots from space in order to monitor the condition of the soil, vegetation, forests, agriculture, water sources and more. Venµs is equipped with a special camera that captures details from earth in 12 wave-lengths, including details which are not visible to the naked eye. The satellite will photograph vast areas to provide the researchers with dozens of daily images, each one providing information on some 700 square kilometers. Venµs was built in IAI’s space division in collaboration with Elbit, which developed the telescope and with Rafael, which developed the propulsion system. The satellite weighed 265 kg at the time of the launch and entered a sun-synchronous orbit at the height of 720 km.
