Projects

Embedded cloud detection system for high resolution multispectral cameras in earth observation microsatellites

Researcher(s):
Koldo Basterretxea (PI)
Period:
from 2021 to 2023
Financing entity:
Basque Goverment & Satlantis Microsats
Satlantis iSim camera in the ISS
Total amount:
47.621 €
Description:

The next generation of iSIM binocular cameras that the SATLANTIS company develops and markets for installation in artificial microsatellites will have multispectral sensors up to 5 bands (GRB + NIR + Panchromatic) with high image resolution. This technology will dramatically expand the applicability of iSIM cameras in the field of satellite imagery terrestrial observation. The high spatial resolution offered by iSIM cameras, combined with their compact design and low weight, represent a technological achievement that significantly reduces the costs of missions for Earth observation. However, it is precisely these characteristics that make it more necessary to maximize and optimize image processing in the camera itself (onboard processing). On the one hand, the time and bandwidth limitations of communications between satellites and ground stations make it advisable to transmit only the relevant information obtained by their sensors. On the other hand, the power consumption in microsatellites is a determining factor for the operability of its instruments and the success of its missions. In multispectral imaging applications in particular, these requirements become more important due to the vast amount of data that is generated during observation. Thus, instead of storing and transmitting raw images (multispectral cubes), it is necessary to process the information generated to discriminate the relevant information before being stored and transmitted. In other words, the camera must incorporate a certain “intelligence” to “understand” what it is seeing and discriminate the information, thus relieving the satellite computer from carrying out these tasks and providing great added value to SATLANTIS products.