The satellite, which is a joint effort of the Israeli and French space agencies, has proven its effectiveness in various scientific studies thanks to its high spatial resolution imaging capabilities, dedicated wavelengths, and frequent repeated photographs at specific sites
Simulation of the activity of the Venus satellite. Courtesy of the Israeli Space Agency
After seven years in orbit, the vegetation and environment monitoring satellite, Venus (VENµS), went out of service yesterday (Wednesday) and will begin making its way back to Earth to burn up in the atmosphere.
The satellite, which is a joint effort of the Israeli and French space agencies, has proven its effectiveness in various scientific studies thanks to its high spatial resolution imaging capabilities, dedicated wavelengths, and repeated and frequent photographs at specific sites.
The Venus satellite was originally designed to be a demonstration system for the Sentinel-2 satellites, as part of the European Copernicus program for remote sensing satellites. However, due to technical delays, Venus was launched on August 2, 2017 after these satellites. However it has managed to differentiate itself by focusing on around 150 targeted research sites worldwide. The spatial resolution and high return time (up to once a day) of the satellite enabled various unique applications related to the study of the soil, water reservoirs and the atmosphere.
"The Venus satellite, which operated in space for almost double the time it was originally planned for, is an example of outstanding international cooperation with the French Space Agency, as well as Israeli innovation in the field of environmental satellites in particular" says Brigadier General (Ret.) Uri Oron, Director of the Israel Space Agency in the Ministry of Innovation , science and technology. "After seven years, Venus met its technological and scientific goals in an exceptional way, and served as a platform for research around the world. The Israel Space Agency continues to operate and initiate collaborations with the leading space agencies in the world, with the intention of placing Israel at the forefront of space research and industry."
The Venus satellite, the size of a household refrigerator and weighing 270 kilograms, is mainly a product of the Israeli space industry: the Israel Aerospace Industries is responsible for developing the satellite systems and the ground station, the electric propulsion system was developed at Rafael, while France is responsible for developing the multi-spectral camera and the image processing system. The French Space Agency was responsible for developing the satellite's camera, but it is worth noting that the company that won the French tender and actually developed the camera was also an Israeli company: Elbit Electro-Optical Systems Al-Op.
A technological, scientific and educational success story: The Venus mission had two main goals. The technological goal was to test an electric propulsion engine, which would allow the satellite to operate in space for a significantly longer period of time compared to the operating times of gasoline engines. The engine emitting a jet of xenon ions made course adjustments and maintained an altitude of 400 km in order to overcome atmospheric drag.
The satellite's second purpose was scientific: to take high-resolution high-resolution (4-5 meters) and high-frequency (one every two days) pictures of about 150 selected sites in 12 spectral bands. Throughout its operational life, Venus underwent several orbit changes to achieve these goals. These different altitudes led to different spatial resolutions, which further increased the satellite's data collection capabilities.
The satellite Venus. Image courtesy of the Israel Space Agency
The satellite was used by researchers around the world and provided data for joint studies by Israeli scientists and colleagues from other countries, with the aim of promoting solutions to environmental and climate challenges. In addition, in Israel alone, researchers from various academic institutions downloaded tens of thousands of Venus images that were used for various studies in the fields of agriculture, forestry, iconography, and the atmosphere. Venus data contributed to the publication of over 100 scientific articles, most of which were written by Israeli researchers.
At the same time, Venus also played a part in promoting space education in Israel. Lesson plans based on his abilities were taught in middle schools throughout the country and in the SHE-SPACE research program, female students from the south of the country developed research applications in the agricultural and ecological fields, based on the Venus data. This program was even awarded a mark of excellence by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF).
Now, in accordance with the International Outer Space Treaty, it is necessary to guide Venus safely back to Earth, in order to minimize risks of damage to other active satellites operating in the same orbit. As part of this process, all of the satellite's fuel will be used up before it gradually descends towards Earth, until it will eventually disintegrate as it collides with the atmosphere.
One response
It seems to me that it is easier to find pictures taken by the Ofek spy satellites than pictures produced by this satellite.