Venus, the first Israeli satellite for environmental research was launched on 2nd August

2017 from the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

It is a joint effort of the Israel Space Agency and the French Space Agency (CNES). The
Israel Aerospace Industries built this satellite in Israel.
Venus is considered the smallest satellite of its kind on the planet, crafted to survey and
monitor large areas to study vegetation,soil, forests, water, agriculture and air quality
and other aspects of the environment.
Important highlights of Venus
Venus (265 kilograms)is for Vegetation and Environment monitoring on a New ()
Micro-Satellite launched on a Vega platform.
The satellite took one hour, 37 minutes and 18 seconds to reach orbit, and two days to
reach sun-synchronized orbit at an altitude of 720 kilometers.
The first images captured by the satellite was received in a week after its launching.
The satellite is meant to remain in operation for four and a half years, after which it will
be shifted to a lower orbit.
Venus will be orbiting the earth 29 times in 48 hours.
It will also be capturing dozens of photographs every day, each one covering 730 square
kilometers.