Overview

VanZyl-1

VanZyl-1 (VZ-1) is Hydrosat's first pathfinder mission. Launched in August 2024 on the SpaceX Transporter-11 rideshare, VZ-1 is a technology demonstration and proof of concept for our forthcoming constellation that will redefine space-based thermal infrared remote sensing by enabling daily continuous monitoring of any location on Earth.

Hydrosat's VanZyl-1 satellite.

VZ-1 hosts two imaging payloads: Hydrosat’s first-generation, proprietary Longwave InfraRed Imager (LIRI) along with its Visible and near-InfraRed Imager (VIRI). LIRI acquires thermal infrared (TIR) imagery at wavelengths between 10.6 and 12.51 micrometers. VIRI images in 7 spectral bands ranging from 458 to 900 nanometers. VZ-1 imagery is acquired mid-morning local time.

VanZyl-2

Hydrosat's second pathfinder mission, VZ-2, launched in June 2025 on the SpaceX Transporter-14 rideshare. VZ-2 hosts the same two sensors as VZ-1, but acquires imagery in mid-afternoon local time.

Hydrosat's VanZyl-2 satellite.

Use Cases

Hydrosat users leverage high-resolution thermal data for a variety of use cases, including:

Agriculture

Urban Heat

Wildfire

Energy

Oceans

Defense & Intelligence

Weather Forecasting

Forestry

Biodiversity

Getting Started with Hydrosat Data

All Hydrosat imagery products are served through a SpatioTemporal Asset Catalog (STAC) API. To access Hydrosat's STAC catalog, you will need an account.

Prerequisites

1

Request an account and get approved for access.

You can do this by reaching out to your organization's point of contact within Hydrosat.

• If you don't know who your PoC is, please email [email protected].

• If you don't already have a PoC, please fill out our early adopter interest form.

2

Find your invitation email.

Once your account has been created, you will receive an email from [email protected] with your username and temporary password.

3

Reset your password.

Navigate to https://stac.hydrosat.com/token. You should see a form that looks like this:

After signing in for the first time with your temporary password, you will be prompted to create a new one.

4

You're all set!

Once you've reset your password, you will be able to use your new account and associated credentials to access the catalog.

Accessing Data

Through Hydrosat's STAC API, you can search for data that meets your needs. Data are stored as Cloud-Optimized GeoTIFFs (COGs), which means you can either download the full files or stream only the parts you need using standard web requests.

Once you’re authenticated, you can browse Hydrosat's STAC items and view thumbnail previews. However, only users who have ordered specific data can download the full COGs for their selected areas.

Learn more:

• STAC (SpatioTemporal Asset Catalog): stacspec.org

• Cloud-Optimized GeoTIFFs (COGs): cogeo.org

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While you can use the STAC API directly, we recommend using one of the following tools to make it easier:

• Python library: pystac-client documentation

• QGIS: Use the built-in STAC browser (requires version 3.42.0 or later) or install the STAC API plugin

For more information on how to connect to the API, please see our API reference page.

Ordering Data

Users can order VZ-1 and VZ-2 data within specific areas of interest (AOIs) and times of interest (TOIs).

If you haven't already provided us with an AOI and TOI, or you would like to order more data, please speak with your organization point of contact.

Requesting Support

If you run into any problems, please get in touch with us at [email protected]. We’ll get back to you as soon as we can. Our support team is available 8:00 am to 4:00 pm Pacific time on weekdays.