A method for simulating the estimation of a time to acquire satellite images associated with at least one predetermined area of the Earth, by at least one Earth observation satellite having an optical imaging system, the predetermined area being previously divided into a grid of cells, the acquisition being scheduled to be triggered starting on an analysis start date is disclosed having the steps of: (a) conducting an inventory of the cells planned to be overflown by the satellite on a current iteration date, on the basis of the orbital characteristics of the satellite on the current iteration date, thus obtaining candidate cells, (b) identifying among the candidate cells, on the basis of a mission plan of the satellite, those cells for which acquisition of at least one satellite image is scheduled, thus obtaining scheduled cells, (c) obtaining at least a first cloudiness value for each of the scheduled cells, (d) identifying, among the scheduled cells, those for which the first associated cloudiness value is above a predetermined validation threshold value, thus obtaining validated cells.

A payload module (1) of a stratospheric drone including: a casing (10), and a piece of optical equipment (20) comprising an optical axis, mounted in the casing, wherein the module being includes a mirror (40) positioned on the optical axis facing the optical equipment, the mirror being swivelable about at least one axis, within an angular range, wherein the casing has a through-opening (11) shaped so that any light ray received or emitted by the optical equipment parallel to the optical axis and reflected by the mirror passes through the through-opening, over the entire angular range of the mirror.

A system and method for detecting or identifying substances based on spectral response signatures is provided. The system utilizes IR imagery, singularly or stored in a database, in operative communication with a database or library of known spectral response signatures. The system correlates the spectral response signature detected, or inherent, in an image or image library, with the set of known signatures in the spectral database. The system generates a report of the substances or chemical compounds present in at least a portion of the image. The system can also query a database of IR products for an area of interest, and return results in a report or via an interactive tool, for IR products containing specific IR spectral results.

Systems and methods for controlling satellites are provided. In one example embodiment, a computing system can obtain a request for image data. The request can be associated with a priority for acquiring the image data. The computing system can determine an availability of a plurality of satellites to acquire the image data based at least in part on the request. The computing system can select from among a plurality of communication pathways to transmit an image acquisition command to a satellite based at least in part on the request priority. The plurality of communication pathways can include a communication pathway via which the image acquisition command is indirectly communicated to the satellite via a geostationary satellite. The computing system can send the image acquisition command to the selected satellite via the selected communication pathway.

Method, apparatus, and computer program product are provided for estimating crop type and/or sowing date. In some embodiments, a historical crop growth time series and a plurality of simulated crop growth time series are determined, and the historical time series is matched against each simulated time series to determine an estimated crop type and/or sowing date. For example, one simulated time series may be determined for each crop type/sowing date combination within a set of one or more crop types and one or more sowing dates based on historical crop data. Each time series represents crop growth in an area of interest and comprises element(s) including crop-specific parameter(s), such as leaf area index (LAI). The historical time series may be determined based on remote sensor data. Each simulated time series may be determined using a crop growth simulation model and based on historical crop data, geospatial data, and weather data.

A satellite system operates at altitudes between 180 km and 350 km relying on vehicles including an engine to counteract atmospheric drag to maintain near-constant orbit dynamics. The system operates at altitudes that are substantially lower than traditional satellites, reducing size, weight and cost of the vehicles and their constituent subsystems such as optical imagers, radars, and radio links. The system can include a large number of lower cost, mass, and altitude vehicles, enabling revisit times substantially shorter than previous satellite systems. The vehicles spend their orbit at low altitude, high atmospheric density conditions that have heretofore been virtually impossible to consider for stable orbits. Short revisit times at low altitudes enable near-real time imaging at high resolution and low cost. At such altitudes, the system has no impact on space junk issues of traditional LEO orbits, and is self-cleaning in that space junk or disabled craft will de-orbit.

An airborne scanning instrument may include a scanning mirror configured to be carried by an airborne platform and having a major reflective surface to define a scanning path directed toward Earth. The airborne scanning instrument may include a shaft configured to rotate the scanning mirror about a shaft axis. The major reflective surface of the scanning mirror may be tilted at a first angle from the shaft axis, and the shaft axis may be tilted at a second angle relative to horizontal. The airborne scanning instrument may include a detector aligned with the scanning mirror to define a detector path therewith.

Systems and methods are provided for updating data in a computer network. An exemplary method includes: collecting a first set of measured information from a plurality of space vehicles and a second set of measured information from a reference space vehicle; deriving an affine system for each of the space vehicles; deriving a set of physical distance metrics between each of the space vehicles and the reference space vehicle; identifying a set of space vehicles having a physical distance metric below a threshold; upon identifying the set of space vehicles, performing a similarity analysis for each of the identified set of space vehicles producing a set of intercalibration parameters; applying the set of intercalibrations parameters to the affine system of each of the identified set of space vehicles; and forming an ensemble product defining calibrated sensor information from the space vehicles.

A method for observing a region of the Earth's surface, called region of interest, implementing a plurality of satellites spaced apart along at least one non-stationary orbit, the method comprises: the acquisition, by at least two of the satellites, during a same passage over the region of interest and in successive acquisition periods, of a plurality of images of the Earth's surface, called partial images, each covering a portion of the region of interest; and the obtaining of an image covering all of the region of interest by the merging of at least two partial images, exhibiting a predefined time shift between their acquisition periods, for each of the at least two satellites. A satellite system for observing a region of the Earth's surface for the implementation of such a method, and ground segment belonging to such a system is provided.

An imaging system includes a metering structure and a plurality of foldable members disposed around a periphery of the metering structure. Each foldable member in the plurality of foldable members includes an arm comprising a strain deployable composite and a reflector disposed on the arm. The arm in a respective foldable member in the plurality of foldable members is configured to hold the respective foldable member toward the metering structure in a first state and to hold the respective foldable member away from the metering structure in a second state such that the reflector of the respective foldable member forms part of a sparse aperture in the second state.