The primary payload on a small-satellite, the Air Force Research Laboratory's MightySat II.1, is a spatially modulated Fourier Transform Hyperspectral Imager (FTHSI) designed for terrain classification. The heart of this instrument is a solid block Sagnac interferometer with 85cm-1 spectral resolution over the 475nm to 1050nm bands and 30m spatial resolution. Coupled with this hyperspectral imager is a Quad-C40 card, used for on-orbit processing. The satellite was launched on 19 July 2000 into a 575km, 97.8 degree inclination, sun-synchronous orbit. The hyperspectral imager collected its first data set on 1 August 2000, and has been in continuous operation since that time. To the best of our knowledge, the MightySat II.1 sensor is the first true hyperspectral imager to be successfully operated in space. The paper will describe the satellite and instrument, pre-launch calibration results, on-orbit performance, and the calibration process used to characterize the sensor. We will also present data on the projected lifetime of the sensor along with samples of the types of data being collected.
The primary payload on a small-satellite, MightySat II.1, is a spatially modulated Fourier transform hyperspectral imager designed for terrain classification. This imager is the first hyperspectral imager to be successfully operated from space. As part of its year long mission, images have been taken of the Earth's limb and the moon. Analysis of the limb data have shown the presence of large scale structure in the limb while the moon imagery is being used to determine the suitability of using the moon as a vicarious calibration source. The paper briefly describes the satellite and hyperspectral instrument and presents examples of the limb and moon observations and data.
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