Artistic rendition of the VENUS satellite.

Image is courtesy of Israel's Science, Technology and Space Ministry.

The Jerusalem Post is reporting that Israel’s first environmental satellite, named “Venµs” — the major project of the Israel Space Agency and the French space agency CNES — will be launched from French Guinea at 4:58 a.m. on August 2, according to reporter Judy Siegel-Itzkovich.

Israel's Science and Technology Minister, Ofir Akunis, called the upcoming launch an “important national event.” Israel, he said, is “known around the world for its boldness and innovation, which are expressed also in the technological developments of ‘Venus.’ We are so proud to see how work of many years of our best engineers and researchers at the head of the Israel Space Agency, along with CNES, will reach its peak at the launching.”

Environmental satellites have become very important in recent years because of problems on Earth resulting from population increase, declining space for agriculture, pollution and natural disasters. The Venµs, the world’s smallest satellite of its kind, was built in the last few years by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). The satellite will observe fields and nature from space for environmental research, monitoring land conditions, forestry, agriculture, the quality of water sources and more.