Session
Session VII: Science Mission Payloads - Enterprise
Location
Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City, UT
Abstract
Polarimetric sensors introduce great imaging enhancements to current Earth Observation capabilities, by improving target discrimination, material recognition, and atmospheric components filtering. Satlantis has recently launched its cutting-edge polarimetry technology onboard its GARAI-A satellite, which will soon demonstrate its advanced capabilities in orbit. This paper presents the design of the polarimetric channel, its calibration process, the first polarimetric images, and an initial assessment of their potential applications.
GARAI-A, launched in January 2025, carries an innovative polarimetric channel designed by Satlantis on an iSIM-90 sensor to capture multi-angle polarization data at a very high spatial resolution. Unlike other EO payloads, this novel sensor combines compact, high-resolution polarization optical design with Satlantis’ proprietary miniaturized imager architecture. The result is a cost-effective yet powerful solution for microsatellite platforms, offering enhanced contrast detection challenging observation conditions. The mission followed a rigorous calibration and validation campaign, ensuring alignment with predictive analyses.
The initial on-orbit results aim to demonstrate GARAI-A’s capability to monitor atmospheric aerosols with improved accuracy. The range of potential applications is extensive, including oil spill detection, mineral and rock identification, water quality monitoring, and target detection. A key application of polarimetry is aerosol characterization and filtering, which will be extensively studied in the GARAI-A mission. Additionally, methane detection and quantification performed using the secondary payload onboard GARAI-A, the iSIM-90’s SWIR channel, could benefit from considering the impact of aerosols on these measurements, improving the detection limit of the instrument and the overall performance of the whole system.
As part of Satlantis’ broader strategy to enhance remote sensing capabilities, this satellite serves as a stepping stone toward the development of its new generation satellites constellation that will include enhanced polarimetric sensors. The insights gained from GARAI-A will feed the design process of next generation of compact, high-performance microsatellites tailored for a wide range of Earth Observation needs. This paper will discuss the mission design process, payload architecture, calibration and alignment efforts, and early science results, showcasing the transformative potential of this technology onboard small satellite platforms.
With GARAI-A, Satlantis sets a new standard for high-resolution polarimetric imaging in space, unlocking novel opportunities for both the scientific research, delivering data to academic and federal institutions such as NASA or NOAA, as well as the commercial EO world, with an special emphasis on the decarbonization economy. The success of this mission underscores the growing role of small satellites in delivering sophisticated remote sensing tools that were once exclusive to larger space systems.
In addition to its primary scientific and commercial contributions, GARAI-A’s mission fosters the development of the next-generation of miniaturized polarimetric imagers optimized for environmental applications. The integration of AI-enhanced data processing algorithms delivers rapid data curation and dissemination. The paper will also dive into the integration of this technology in Satlantis’ future sensor architectures.
Document Type
Event
Advancing Earth Observation With a Novel Polarimetric Sensor: The GARAI-A Satellite and Satlantis’ Next-Generation Systems
Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City, UT
Polarimetric sensors introduce great imaging enhancements to current Earth Observation capabilities, by improving target discrimination, material recognition, and atmospheric components filtering. Satlantis has recently launched its cutting-edge polarimetry technology onboard its GARAI-A satellite, which will soon demonstrate its advanced capabilities in orbit. This paper presents the design of the polarimetric channel, its calibration process, the first polarimetric images, and an initial assessment of their potential applications.
GARAI-A, launched in January 2025, carries an innovative polarimetric channel designed by Satlantis on an iSIM-90 sensor to capture multi-angle polarization data at a very high spatial resolution. Unlike other EO payloads, this novel sensor combines compact, high-resolution polarization optical design with Satlantis’ proprietary miniaturized imager architecture. The result is a cost-effective yet powerful solution for microsatellite platforms, offering enhanced contrast detection challenging observation conditions. The mission followed a rigorous calibration and validation campaign, ensuring alignment with predictive analyses.
The initial on-orbit results aim to demonstrate GARAI-A’s capability to monitor atmospheric aerosols with improved accuracy. The range of potential applications is extensive, including oil spill detection, mineral and rock identification, water quality monitoring, and target detection. A key application of polarimetry is aerosol characterization and filtering, which will be extensively studied in the GARAI-A mission. Additionally, methane detection and quantification performed using the secondary payload onboard GARAI-A, the iSIM-90’s SWIR channel, could benefit from considering the impact of aerosols on these measurements, improving the detection limit of the instrument and the overall performance of the whole system.
As part of Satlantis’ broader strategy to enhance remote sensing capabilities, this satellite serves as a stepping stone toward the development of its new generation satellites constellation that will include enhanced polarimetric sensors. The insights gained from GARAI-A will feed the design process of next generation of compact, high-performance microsatellites tailored for a wide range of Earth Observation needs. This paper will discuss the mission design process, payload architecture, calibration and alignment efforts, and early science results, showcasing the transformative potential of this technology onboard small satellite platforms.
With GARAI-A, Satlantis sets a new standard for high-resolution polarimetric imaging in space, unlocking novel opportunities for both the scientific research, delivering data to academic and federal institutions such as NASA or NOAA, as well as the commercial EO world, with an special emphasis on the decarbonization economy. The success of this mission underscores the growing role of small satellites in delivering sophisticated remote sensing tools that were once exclusive to larger space systems.
In addition to its primary scientific and commercial contributions, GARAI-A’s mission fosters the development of the next-generation of miniaturized polarimetric imagers optimized for environmental applications. The integration of AI-enhanced data processing algorithms delivers rapid data curation and dissemination. The paper will also dive into the integration of this technology in Satlantis’ future sensor architectures.
