(JNS.org) Israel will launch its first civilian satellite into orbit in December 2015, Israel Space Agency Chairman Maj. Gen. (res) Yitzhak Ben Israel said Thursday, Israel Hayom reported. The Venus Vegetation and Environment Monitoring New Microsatellite program was the joint project of the Israel Space Agency and French space agency Centre National D’études Spatiales. The Venus satellite will be launched from the Kourou Islands in French Guiana and was designed for earth observation. The project cost tens of millions of dollars and has an expected lifespan of at least 10 years.