In 2023, Hydrosat will launch its VanZyl-1 land mapping mission and substantiate accurate and timely thermal infrared (TIR) data from a commercial SmallSat platform. Science and applications communities have made clear the needs and requirements for daily, field-scale land surface temperature and evapotranspiration data. Hydrosat’s eventual SmallSat constellation will significantly advance our monitoring and management capabilities for ecosystems, agriculture, and other applications. VanZyl-1 includes a primary TIR payload with a projected ground sample distance (GSD) of 70 meters, and secondary visible through near-infrared multi-spectral payload with a GSD of 30 meters. The TIR payload incorporates a modern microbolometer Focal Plane Array (FPA) with telescope, thermal control, and calibration subsystems designed for optimal performance within a total payload volume of approximately 16U. The payloads will be hosted on an “ESPA-class” SmallSat in partnership with Loft Orbital, and operated as part of a demonstration mission with up to 5-year planned lifetime.
Hydrosat's VanZyl-1 demonstration payload is representative of an emerging class of small satellite payloads, with a goal to enable infrared measurements relevant to Earth science applications in a small size, weight, and power (SWaP) footprint. In order to optimize the performance of an infrared instrument within the confines of a hosted payload allocation or other SmallSat form factor, careful attention must be paid to the radiometric calibration sources that will be available on orbit. This paper explores the state of the art in compact blackbody sources and alternative on-board calibration sources, as well as established practices for vicarious calibration such as oceans or the lunar surface. These options will be summarized in terms of high-level calibration goals including relative detector calibration, absolute response calibration, and reference target radiometric knowledge over time.
The Arkyd-6 (A6) satellite is a technology demonstration CubeSat designed and manufactured by Planetary Resources, the first of which was successfully launched on PSLV C-40 on January 12, 2018. Onboard the A6 satellite is a broadband midwave-infrared instrument sensitive from 3.4 - 5.1 microns.
The instrument was designed around upselected COTS components, then modified and qualified in-house for operation in low-Earth orbit. From a 505-km orbit, the instrument will achieve a 38-meter GSD and includes a diffraction-limited F/4 lens assembly. The instrument was radiometrically calibrated on the ground for at-lens brightness temperature over this band.
This presentation will focus on ground qualification and performance testing, on-orbit instrument commissioning, and instrument performance assessment going into nominal operations.
Recent years have seen a rise in the development of concepts for constellations of SmallSats or Cubesats for Earth Observation remote sensing. These constellations focus on visible RGB imagery or multi-band imagery from a handful of wide-bands in the visible or near infrared wavelengths.
Mid-wave infrared (MWIR) data provides a unique measurement, able to be operated both for day and night imaging. Recent developments in infrared detectors and the miniaturization of cryocooler technology enable this instrument be packaged in a Cubesat form-factor. Data products derived from the MWIR measurement have been shown to be beneficial in agricultural decision making process, specifically in irrigation and water use.
Planetary Resources is developing a MWIR instrument operating across the 3-5um wavelength for the purpose of prospecting near-Earth asteroids. In turning the gaze of the sensors to nadir from low-Earth orbit, a unique dataset is created that is currently lacking from existing commercial Earth observation platforms.
This paper presents the MWIR instrument, its measurement from low-Earth orbit and its potential for near-Earth asteroid exploration.
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