SMALL SATELLITE ENABLED SOLUTION FOR CLOUD CHARACTERIZATION AND WEATHER IMAGING

Two of the largest weather gaps are the need for cloud characterization (CC) and situational weather imaging (SWI). Recent developments in small satellite and instrument technologies combined with advanced analytics have enabled a distributed low earth orbit (LEO) constellation of visible, near-infrared (NIR), shortwave infrared (SWIR), and mid-wave infrared (MWIR) imagers that offers a cost effective and rapid response for providing CC and SWI. Historical efforts have combined visible, NIR, SWIR, and MWIR imagers into one “exquisite” instrument thus increasing the size, weight, power, and cost while driving instrument complexity and delivery time beyond acceptable limits. Separating the imagers into three different high-performing instruments and flying them on a small satellite constellation allows us to meet weather priorities, while providing accelerated responsiveness and resiliency.

By combining Southwest Research Institute’s capability for space-flight instrumentation with commercially available low cost small satellite platforms, we are able to offer an innovative constellation for weather monitoring known as the Pleiades Suite. The constellation provides data in the visible, near infra-red, short-wave infra-red, and mid-wave infra-wavelengths. The instruments and their host small satellite platforms are distributed into clusters that fly in synchronized formation, simultaneously observing the same scene and provide: detection of clouds, thin cirrus over bright targets, deserts, smoke, sand, and dust; differentiation between liquid/ice, low/high, polar/maritime, mixed-phase clouds, and snow; and cloud top temperature, pressure, and optical properties. Our COSPAR 2019 presentation will provide information regarding the implementation and benefits of our Pleiades approach.