On Friday, August 16, Hydrosat, a climate technology company focused on leveraging thermal imagery to measure water stress in agriculture and combat the effects of climate change, successfully launched VanZyl-1 — the company’s first proprietary satellite.
According to the company, this marks a groundbreaking achievement in global thermal imaging. VanZyl-1, equipped with a cutting-edge, thermal infrared camera, was carried on Loft Orbital’s YAM-7 spacecraft and launched via SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California via the Transporter-11 rideshare mission.
This VanZyl-1 mission represents a significant advancement in delivering high-resolution thermal imaging technology across the entire planet. For the first time, Hydrosat’s proprietary commercial satellite will provide detailed thermal imagery and insights covering both land and water, offering an invaluable tool for growers, government agencies, and researchers.
The data collected from VanZyl-1 will play a crucial role in enhancing agricultural and climate models – transforming how we understand and manage resources and enabling more precise and timely decision-making to address critical global issues.