# 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.

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.

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


Agriculture	bernd-dittrich-MbL4KOV5stM-unsplash.jpg
Urban Heat	urban-heat@2x.jpg.webp
Wildfire	ivan-bandura-Rb0AyRGE7LE-unsplash-lowres.jpg
Energy	energy@2x.jpg.webp
Oceans	aquaculture@2x.jpg.webp
Defense & Intelligence	defence@2x.jpg.webp
Weather Forecasting	emmanuel-appiah-d4xr5jN5f3g-unsplash.jpg
Forestry	mitchell-luo-Cip_dNOVI0A-unsplash.jpg
Biodiversity	palle-knudsen-pn32OsMWfHQ-unsplash.jpg

## 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 {% stepper %} {% step %} #### 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 . * If you don't already have a PoC, please fill out our early adopter [interest form](https://hydrosat.com/thermal-data/). {% endstep %} {% step %} #### Find your invitation email. Once your account has been created, you will receive an email from with your username and temporary password. {% endstep %} {% step %} #### Reset your password. Navigate to . 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. Upon successful login, you will see a token. You can **ignore the token as it is not needed** when interacting with the STAC API either directly or through QGIS.

{% endstep %} {% step %} #### You're all set! Once you've reset your password, you will be able to use your new account and associated credentials (username and password) to access the catalog. {% endstep %} {% endstepper %} ### 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. {% hint style="warning" %} 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. {% endhint %} Learn more: * STAC (SpatioTemporal Asset Catalog): [stacspec.org](https://stacspec.org) * Cloud-Optimized GeoTIFFs (COGs): [cogeo.org](https://cogeo.org) *** 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](https://pystac-client.readthedocs.io/en/stable/) * QGIS: Use the built-in STAC browser (requires version 3.42.0 or later) or install the [STAC API plugin](https://stac-utils.github.io/qgis-stac-plugin/) For more information on how to connect to the API, please see our [API reference](https://satdocs.hydrosat.com/api-reference-and-specification) page. ### Ordering Data Users can order Hydrosat data within specific areas of interest (AOIs) and/or times of interest (TOIs). Please speak with your organization point of contact to define and submit your order request. ### Requesting Support If you run into any problems, please get in touch with us at . 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. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://satdocs.hydrosat.com/overview.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.