DIEGO: A Multispectral Thermal Mission for Earth Observation on the International Space Station

Abstract

Observations in thermal infrared (IR) contribute substantially to the understanding of the global fluxes of energy and matter between Earth’s surface, ocean and atmosphere. Key parameters derived from such observations are Sea Surface Temperature (SST), Land Surface Temperature (LST) and Land Surface Emissivity (LSE). These variables are important for weather forecasting and climate modelling. However, satellite systems currently in orbit provide only a small number of spectral bands in the thermal region, and consequently cannot be used for temperature emissivity separation (TES) to accurately derive LST and LSE. Hence, capacities to investigate processes or phenomena where LST in high temporal and high spatial resolution (<100 m) is required, such as agricultural applications or urban heat island monitoring, are limited. Additionally, the measurement of radiative energy released from active large and small fires, which contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, is still challenging with current IR systems. Here, we introduce the proposed multispectral sensor system DIEGO (Dynamic Infrared Earth Observation on the ISS Orbit) with 11 spectral bands and a ground sampling distance of less than 60 m, which aims to reduce the observation gap in the thermal infrared significantly.