JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel launched its first Israeli satellite for environmental research.
Venus was launched early Wednesday morning from the Vega Launch Complex in Kourou, French Guiana. The mission is a joint project of the Israel Space Agency and its French counterpart, the Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales, or CNES.
The satellite will revisit up to every two days scientific sites spread worldwide for the study and evaluation of vegetation, and for environmental purposes, according to the Israel Space Agency.
Venμs is equipped with a multi-spectral camera that can capture important details that may not be visible to the human eye. The camera operates in 12 wavelengths that work simultaneously to capture images of the location. These separate images are processed into a precise complete color photograph.
The satellite will be operated from four ground facilities located in Tel Aviv and Haifa in Israel, as well as from Toulouse in France and Kiruna in Sweden.
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