Session
Session IV: LEO Missions
Abstract
Monitoring of visible emissions at night from satellites has evolved into a useful capability for environmental monitoring and mapping the global human footprint. Pioneering work with Defense Meteorological Support Program (DMSP) sensors has been followed by new work with the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), and International Space Station (ISS) photography. We have been investigating the ability of CubeSats to carry out nightlights mapping missions and here present recent results from existing visible wavelength cameras on AeroCube satellites. CubeSat sensors were successfully tasked to image oil industry natural gas flares in the Persian Gulf region, urban areas and other sites of interest. Point and stare maneuvers to maximize resolution and sensitivity were demonstrated. Our initial work demonstrates the ability of CubeSats to conduct nightlights missions, as well as the limitations of the small cameras flown to date. Comparison of VIIRS and AeroCube imagery are made. Potential uses of the CubeSat platforms include: 1) providing different overpass times than the early morning overpass provided by VIIRS to potentially spot missing lights activity, 2) providing multi-color nightlights to supplement the monochromatic VIIRS day-night-band (DNB) data, and 3) “swarming” the nighttime mission with multiple platforms to provide more frequent tasked data on transient events such as fires, volcanic activity, and natural disaster power outages. CubeSats sensors may be able to improve mapping of the human footprint in targeted regions via nighttime lights and contribute to better monitoring of: urban growth, light pollution, energy usage, the improvement of electrical power grids in developing countries, and oil industry flare activity. Future CubeSats sensors should be able to contribute to nightlights monitoring efforts by NOAA, NASA, ESA, the World Bank and others. Our current results are summarized and next steps discussed, including soon-to-be-launched sensors and future program development.
CubeSat Nighttime Lights
Monitoring of visible emissions at night from satellites has evolved into a useful capability for environmental monitoring and mapping the global human footprint. Pioneering work with Defense Meteorological Support Program (DMSP) sensors has been followed by new work with the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), and International Space Station (ISS) photography. We have been investigating the ability of CubeSats to carry out nightlights mapping missions and here present recent results from existing visible wavelength cameras on AeroCube satellites. CubeSat sensors were successfully tasked to image oil industry natural gas flares in the Persian Gulf region, urban areas and other sites of interest. Point and stare maneuvers to maximize resolution and sensitivity were demonstrated. Our initial work demonstrates the ability of CubeSats to conduct nightlights missions, as well as the limitations of the small cameras flown to date. Comparison of VIIRS and AeroCube imagery are made. Potential uses of the CubeSat platforms include: 1) providing different overpass times than the early morning overpass provided by VIIRS to potentially spot missing lights activity, 2) providing multi-color nightlights to supplement the monochromatic VIIRS day-night-band (DNB) data, and 3) “swarming” the nighttime mission with multiple platforms to provide more frequent tasked data on transient events such as fires, volcanic activity, and natural disaster power outages. CubeSats sensors may be able to improve mapping of the human footprint in targeted regions via nighttime lights and contribute to better monitoring of: urban growth, light pollution, energy usage, the improvement of electrical power grids in developing countries, and oil industry flare activity. Future CubeSats sensors should be able to contribute to nightlights monitoring efforts by NOAA, NASA, ESA, the World Bank and others. Our current results are summarized and next steps discussed, including soon-to-be-launched sensors and future program development.
