HyperScout M Intelligent Hyperspectral Imager to Fly on First UK Orbital Launch
When the shoebox-sized Prometheus-2 satellites are launched later this year from Spaceport Cornwall in Newquay, HyperScout M, a compact and miniaturized intelligent hyperspectral imager will be on board one of those satellites.
“This mission allows the UK Ministry of Defense to operate a hyperspectral sensor for the first time and also to be able to run processing and algorithms directly on HyperScout."
cosine Remote Sensing director Dr Marco Esposito.
HyperScout M is the most compact and miniaturized version of the HyperScout product line developed by cosine. Its goal is to help UK Defense Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) pave the way for a more collaborative and connected space communication system.
Cosmic Girl, the Virgin Orbit’s modified Boeing 747 that carries the LauncherOne rocket, will soon take off from Spaceport Cornwall to deliver the two Prometheus-2 satellites into Earth’s orbit, one of which contains HyperScout M, the intelligent miniaturized hyperspectral instrument built by cosine.
The satellites demonstrate further progress towards the government’s ambition that by 2030 the UK will have the ability to monitor, protect and defend the interests of the country in and through space. “HyperScout M will allow Dstl and partners to research and assess the potential of hyperspectral and onboard processing for rapid response defense applications," said Robert Gask, Dstl project technical authority.
HyperScout M Has a Lengthy Pedigree in Earth Imaging
cosine’s long heritage with hyperspectral imaging has led to the development of instruments suitable for a large set of applications. “This mission allows the UK Ministry of Defense to operate a hyperspectral sensor for the first time and also to be able to run processing and algorithms directly on HyperScout," said cosine Remote Sensing director Dr Marco Esposito. “It means being able to respond to events faster than is possible with current space assets.”
The HyperScout product line is a set of miniaturized hyperspectral imagers based on 2D sensors used in push broom mode. It allows you to observe reality from a picture with different layers and wavelengths. HyperScout M is the compact refractive version of the product line. It has been developed to fit in a standard single CubeSat unit. “The Prometheus-2 CubeSat’s dimensions are six cubes. They are tiny, with a lot of instruments inside. We delivered a HyperScout M engineering model in 3 months. The entire Remote Sensing team was involved in this project,” said cosine project manager Luigi Castiglione.
(Source: cosine news release. Images provided and from file)