Born of a first-of-its-kind public-private partnership to help accelerate action on climate change, Planet’s hyperspectral constellation may help a range of industries fix what can’t be seen.
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Sign UpThe Hyperspectral Constellation
Planet’s hyperspectral satellite constellation is designed to help customers reveal social, environmental, and climate risks in unprecedented detail. With plans to launch in 2023, Planet’s Hyperspectral Offering is designed to support a fundamental shift in how businesses and governments understand human activities and their economic and environmental impacts.
Source: NASA/JPL
The genesis of the Carbon Mapper initiative came from a need to use high quality hyperspectral data to locate point source methane super emitters at the facility scale. With the ability to see such phenomena, there are a host of other applications that can leverage this technology's superhero-like vision. With a full spectral range from the visible through the shortwave infrared and high-precision 5 nm wide bands, Planet’s hyperspectral offering is designed to help organizations understand changes on land and at sea, from coastal zones to forests to urban areas and more.
Named Tanager, after an ultra-colorful and visually diverse family of birds in the Americas, Planet’s Hyperspectral satellites could offer support to applications and industries ranging from Agriculture to Energy to Civil Government. The many endangered Tanager species are a reminder of the incredible biodiversity this mission and Planet seek to preserve.
At the outset, two Tanager satellites will join Planet’s 200-strong satellite fleet to unlock previously unavailable insights. The broad spectral range and narrow spectral bands complement PlanetScope, SkySat, and the to-be-launched Pelican High Res constellations' temporal and spatial coverage perfectly to bring critical information to decision-makers.
Frequent revisits and large coverage areas enable more frequent monitoring for pattern of life development
Spectral Range target at 400-2500nm with 5nm sampling allowing for numerous Hyperspectral use case possibilities
3-6x more sensitive than comparable space-borne systems across the system’s entire spectral band
Leverage Planet’s diverse offerings across spectral, temporal, and spatial to support Tip and Cue or other mission needs
How It Can Help
The combination of digital transformation, climate change, and sustainability brings enormous challenges and opportunities. Businesses must innovate to stay ahead of global competitors, adapt their supply chains, and expand revenue. Governments must implement effective policies to avert negative climate impacts while balancing the need for economic growth.
To make meaningful progress on these overlapping fronts, both parties need targeted, actionable information as rapidly as possible. Hyperspectral data may be able to help by identifying the spectral “signatures” of chemicals, materials, and processes across the globe, revealing otherwise hidden trends. It could fill intelligence gaps and mitigate risk by exposing these challenges before they become a problem.
Now, you can fix what you can’t see.
Comprehensive
Could provide coverage areas that airplanes, drones and sensors cannot capture at scale and regular revisit
Extensive
Broad spectral range and narrow spectral sampling could support a broad number of use cases
Precise
A hyperspectral payload with an industry-leading sensitivity to uncover the previously unseen
How It’s Used
With its ability to find objects, detect processes, and identify materials not otherwise visible, hyperspectral remote sensing is poised to become a cross-industry technology. Its rich data output makes it highly compatible with the digital transformation wave. At a high level, here are some ways various industries could use hyperspectral data.
As global food scarcity concerns grow, hyperspectral satellite data can become a key source of information to enhance precision agriculture practices and global food security. It can help identify crop stress, manage irrigation levels, classify crop types, and more.
The energy sector is at a turning point as the climate crisis leads to enhanced regulations and a focus on renewables. Companies can leverage hyperspectral data for methane detection to meet regulatory requirements and capture operational savings. Additionally, hyperspectral data can help with monitoring oil spills, environmental site assessment, resource mapping, vegetation management, and more.
As nation states, terrorists, and criminal organizations get smarter, hyperspectral data exposes what they seek to hide. Hyperspectral satellites can help with diverse defense and intelligence applications
Learn MoreMineral exploration may become much more efficient and precise with the use of hyperspectral data, which can help identify materials by their spectral signature – often in difficult-to-reach locations. It can also be used to detect illegal removal of materials and as proof of compliance with regulations.
Government agencies face unprecedented challenges in today’s environment. Hyperspectral satellite data can provide a fuller picture of urban development, gauge wildfire risk, assist with water quality monitoring, and aid recovery efforts after a natural disaster.
~200
Satellites
3.7 m (3.0 NIIRS)
GSD
8
Spectral Bands
Not required
Tasking
21
Satellites
0.5 m (4.0-5.0 NIIRS)
GSD
RGB, Pan and NIR
Spectral Bands
Sub-daily
Tasking
~32
Satellites
0.3 m (>5.5 NIIRs at-nadir)
GSD
7
Spectral Bands
Up to 12 revisits/day
Tasking
2
Satellites
30 m
GSD
400-2500nm
(5nm spacing)
Spectral Bands
Tasking Required
Tasking
Each Tanager satellite is being designed to make one orbit approximately every 90 minutes
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