Open Cosmos partners with Cambridge University for the definition of an innovative thermal infrared mission

hermal infrared data is currently rare, provided only by a few institutional satellites like Sentinel-3, Landsat 7/8. It has however a wide range of applications such as measuring energy losses from buildings, fire detection, or agriculture monitoring. The uptake of thermal infrared data has been in part limited by the available technology required to achieve the required resolution for a broader range of applications to be addressed. The project led by Cambridge University focuses on the development of the required technology.

The primary objective is to mature the thermal infrared instrument and to confirm the technical and programmatic feasibility of the mission. S4 (Super-Sharp Space Systems) is looking at the commercialisation of this technology. Open Cosmos is conducting the mission analysis, assessing the feasibility and development of the first satellite mission. Furthermore, Open Cosmos will support the development of the instrument by making its platform emulator (OpenKit) available to Cambridge University.

This project is an example of how Open Cosmos facilitates the development of new technologies and missions to generate new data and applications.

The project is funded through the National Space Innovation Programme funded by the UK Space Agency.