When it comes to understanding Earth and our changing environment, space is the place. Not only does it give us an overall holistic view of the planet below, but satellite-based imagery can transcend national boundaries and ...
Now, the European Space Agency (ESA) has chosen two new missions to address key questions in Earth environmental science: Hibidis and SOVA-S.
The missions were formally selected by the ESA's Earth Observation Program Board, after an extensive 10-month selection process.
Hibidis is also known as the Hyper-spectral Biodiversity Scout. The mission will study ecosystem and biodiversity health in the forest and jungles of Earth by looking at the understory spectrum from multiple angles.
Italy's SITAEL is the primary contractor for Hibidis, along with sub-partners Amos and Vito based in Belgium and the University of Zurich. Hibidis will be built on SITAEL's new Empyreum small satellite platform and is powered by SPARK, a low-cost electric propulsion unit.
Next up is the Satellite Observation of Waves in the Atmosphere, SOVA-S. This mission will use a shortwave infrared imager to routinely monitor gravity waves in the atmosphere.