VRSS-2 (Venezuelan Remote Sensing Satellite-2), also known as (Satellite) Antonio José de Sucre, is the second Venezuelanremote sensing satellite, and the third Venezuelan satellite after VRSS-1. It will be used to study Venezuelan territory and support planning, agriculture and disaster recovery. It was built and launched by the Chinese and has been named after Venezuelan revolutionary Antonio José de Sucre.
Satellite
The satellite was built after a contract between Venezuela and China was signed in Caracas on 5 Oct 2014,[2] and follows from their previous collaboration on VRSS-1 Miranda Remote Sensing Satellite. The contract, worth $170 million USD, The main contractor is China Great Wall Industry Corporation and the satellite is based on the CAST 2000 bus developed by the China Academy of Space Technology.
The satellite contains two different cameras, High Resolution Camera (HRC) and Infrared Camera (IRC). The highest resolution band 0.98 metres (3 ft 3 in) GSD in panchromatic, and 4 metres (13 ft) GSD in multispectral. The Infrared cameras have a resolution of (Long Wave) 60 metres (200 ft) and (Short Wave) 30 metres (98 ft) GSD, totaling 10 spectral bands.
The satellite passes over Venezuela three or four times every 24 hours, covering the same area in 101 days at Nadir. Is operated from the Base Aeroespacial Capitán Manuel Ríos in El Sombrero, Guárico state by Venezuela's Bolivarian Agency for Space Activities, design life span (5 years)
Launches are separated by dots ( • ), payloads by commas ( , ), multiple names for the same satellite by slashes ( / ). Crewed flights are underlined. Launch failures are marked with the † sign. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are (enclosed in parentheses).
