An imaging and quantum cryptography apparatus comprising alight-refracting optical setup (101), a light-directing optical setup (102), an imaging sensor (103) capturing light refracted from the light-refracting optical setup and directed to the imaging sensor by the light-directing optical setup and at least one of a quantum key distribution (QKD) transmitter (104) generating a QKD light signal and transmitting the QKD light signal via the light-directing optical setup and through the light-refracting optical setup and a QKD receiver (105) acquiring and decoding light signals refracted from the light-refracting optical setup and directed to the QKD receiver by the light-directing optical setup. The imaging sensor, the at least one of QKD transmitter and QKD receiver, and the alignment unit, all use the same light-directing optical setup and the same light-refracting optical setup.

One variation of a method includes accessing an image of a plant canopy in an environment inhabited by: a population of microbe sensors of a microbe type including a microbe promoter-reporter pair configured to generate microbe-reporter signals representing presence of a stressor in the environment; and a set of sensor plants of a sensor plant type including a plant promoter-reporter pair configured to signal presence of microbe-reporter signals at the set of sensor plants. The method further includes: accessing a reporter model linking features extracted from images of sensor plants of the sensor plant type to pressures of the set of stressors based on plant-reporter signals generated by the plant promoter-reporter pair and microbe types of microbe sensors inhabiting the environment; and interpreting a pressure of the stressor in the environment based on the reporter model, the microbe type, and features extracted from the image.

A method (110) for monitoring at least one aquaculture pond (112) is proposed. The method (110) comprises: a) monitoring at least one aerial parameter of use of the at least one aquaculture pond (112); b) determining a temporal development of the aerial parameter of use; and c) determining an intensity of use of the aquaculture pond (112) by using the temporal development of the aerial parameter of use.

One variation of a method for identifying stressors in crops based on fluorescence of sensor plants includes: accessing a set of spectral images of a sensor plant sown in a crop, the sensor plant of a sensor plant type including a set of promoters and a set of reporters configured to signal a set of stressors present at the sensor plant, the set of promoters and set of reporters forming a set of promoter-reporter pairs; accessing a reporter model linking characteristics extracted from the set of spectral images of the sensor plant to the set of stressors based on signals generated by the set of promoter-reporter pairs in the sensor plant type; and identifying a first stressor, in the set of stressors, present at the sensor plant based on the reporter model and characteristics extracted from the set of spectral images.

Systems and methods are provided for color-enhancing satellite data in a manner that is specific to the true color ocean signal, i.e., the light that is emanating from the ocean surface. These color enhanced images, in turn, can be used as a scientific research and monitoring tool for studying the coastal ocean.

A universal test port is connected to the different functional sub-systems of a spacecraft, allowing the sub-systems to be tested from a single location of an assembled spacecraft. The universal test port is mounted on an external surface of the spacecraft and configured to connect to the different functional sub-systems (such as power, propulsion, and command and data handling, for example) of the assembled spacecraft, allowing for the streamlining of testing operations by electrical ground system equipment during assembly, integration, and test (AIT) operations and reducing the risk of collateral damage to spacecraft hardware during testing in AIT.

A satellite constellation (110) includes a plurality of artificial satellites flying on an inclined circular orbit for each of six or more orbital planes having a common orbital inclination and arranged so that south and north axes are mutually shifted in an east-west direction. The plurality of artificial satellites include eight or more artificial satellites for each orbital plane. Each of the artificial satellites includes a fore-and-aft communication device. For each orbital plane, each of the artificial satellites forms a communication network with front and rear artificial satellites by the fore-and-aft communication device. Each of the artificial satellites on each orbital plane crosses southern and northern edges of the orbital plane in synchronization with artificial satellites on other orbital planes, and forms a communication network with that artificial satellites by the fore-and-aft communication device.

A satellite observation system and method of deploying a satellite system are disclosed. The system includes a plurality of observation satellites comprising one or more sensors, each of the plurality of observation satellites configured with at least a solar array and a mechanical stabilization element. Each of the plurality of observation satellites is constructed without positioning components. The plurality of observation satellites is positioned in a dawn/dusk sun-synchronous orbital plane about a celestial body such that the one or more observation sensors are oriented toward the celestial body. The system further includes one or more servicing vehicles configured to engage each of the plurality observational satellites to configure at least the solar array and mechanical stabilization element

A projection unit (12) of an interference power estimation device (1) projects an orbit of a satellite onto a map representing a ground surface. A range acquisition unit (13) determines a plurality of ranges on the map so that the projected orbit is included in the ranges. An altitude calculation unit (14) calculates an altitude of the orbit of the satellite in each of the ranges. A range interference calculation unit (16) calculates, for each of the ranges, an interference power between the satellite at a position determined by a latitude and a longitude of the range and the altitude calculated for the range and a radio station installed on the ground surface. An estimation result calculation unit (17) selects, as an estimation result, a maximum value among the interference powers calculated for each of the ranges.

Systems, apparatuses, and methods provide for technology that locates one or more masses of a thunderstorm system, as the thunderstorm system starts to organize and before the thunderstorm system spawns a tornado, and controls a transmission of electromagnetic radiation from the space platform to the one or more masses, wherein the transmitted electromagnetic radiation tracks the one or more masses as the thunderstorm system is starting to organize and rotate, and wherein the transmitted electromagnetic radiation prevents the thunderstorm system from rotating and spawning the tornado.