VIRSI In-Orbit Demonstration
Programme
GSTP
Programme Reference
G637-006MM
Prime Contractor
COSINE RESEARCH BV
Start Date
End Date
Status
Closed
Country
Netherlands
Objectives
The goal of the activity is to secure competitiveness of European industry in the field of hyperspectral imaging from nanosatellites/cubesats. This is pursued with in-orbit demonstration of the VIRSI instrument.
;
The following objectives will be achieved:
- Demonstrate the suitability of sensor, filtering, electronics, and low level software.
- Understand the system pitfalls directly in flight, thus shortening the expensive and time consuming ground testing.
- Demonstrate hyperspectral data quality and their suitability to applications including real time algorithms verification on ground.
- Demonstrate and test basic communication, telecommands, telemetry, data download
- Reduce the risks for a potential continuation of Hypercube activity.;
Description
VIRSI is a very compact spectral imager developed by Cosine BV. It allows to perform imaging in VNIR in various configurations (depending on the on-sensor filter options).
An agile and low-cost in-orbit validation is proposed. This request for funding is intended to make VIRSI flight ready, ruggedized, tested and characterized. To achieve the objectives of this activity, the following tasks are included:
;
- Command, telemetry and data download implementation
- Electronics ruggedisation
- Low level software finalization
- Optics assessment, reversed engineering and ruggedisation
- Environmental testing campaign
- Performance characterization campaign
;
VIRSI is a standalone instrument, but it is considered also a precursor to Hypercube, a miniaturized state-of-art hyperspectral instrument for nanosatellites/cubesats with on-board intelligence. Hypercube is being developed under GSTP activity G511-040MM, with the goal to produce an Engineering Model of the instrument by the end of 2015.
This project is challenging as it targets to inject a new approach for space missions: most of the operations and processing nowadays performed on ground are transferred on-board. The new approach allows to reduce the amount of data to be downloaded and processed on-ground, thus reducing the operations costs/time and enabling early warnings on on-ground events by very lean spacecrafts.
;
Therefore, the IOD of VIRSI is proposed not only for the proper development of VIRSI itself but also to effectively validate criticalities of hardware and software that are common/similar to both instruments: command, telemetry and data download, electronics, type of sensor and filter, and overall reliability assessment.
;
The budget of the activity includes the contribution of 125K? for the cost of the flight. The target flight opportunity is the GOMX-4B satellite.
;
;
-------------------------
;
Due to the development maturity of the previous ?Hypercube? GSTP, a number of extra activities have been identified, which can notably enrich this IOD. These activities were not considered in the IOD as its main goal is to validate criticalities of hardware, low-level software and perform overall reliability of the payload in the target platform.
The main added value to the IOD is to perform a more comprehensive demonstration of the hyperspectral imaging and the suitability to the selected applications that need real-time processing, by means of the following:
;
- Optimisation of the design and the manufacturing of the PFM version of ?Hypercube? (now called ?HyperScout?), based on the lessons learned from the ?Hypercube? EM hardware and software (i.e. more performant opto-mechanics, better straylight control, more radiation-tolerant electronics?).
- On-ground validation of the algorithms and the relative software, developed for the selected applications during the previous GSTP, with the use of images acquired by ?HyperScout? during the IOD.
- Vicarious in-orbit (geometrical, spectral, radiometric) calibrations of the instrument, and comparison with on-ground calibrations.
- Limited set of in-orbit software commissioning, to provide a first proof of the software?s functionality and reliability on orbit.
- Airborne testing campaigns of hardware (?Hypercube? EM) and software to retrieve more information on performance, both prior to integration of the final hardware to the platform and during the IOD.
- Development of new algorithms for new possible applications.
Application Domain
Generic Technologies
Technology Domain
16 - Optics
Competence Domain
5-Radiofrequency & Optical Systems and Products
Initial TRL
TRL 4
Target TRL
TRL 8
Achieved TRL
TRL 9
Public Document