Lemur-2 (KAUST)
Lemur-2 (KAUST)
Satellite Lemur-2 162 ONREFLECTION (KAUST)
Spacecraft type CubeSat
Units or mass 6U
Status Operational?
Launched 2023-04-15
NORAD ID 56182
Deployer EXOpod 12U/16U [Exolaunch]
Launcher Falcon 9 (Transporter-7)
Entity name King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)
Institution University
Entity Academic / Education
Headquarters Saudi Arabia
Manufacturer AIVT by Spire
Operator Spire
Partners Spire
Oneliner

Collect high-quality and high-resolution data across global terrestrial, coastal and ocean ecosystems and to help observe and characterize natural resources. 

Description

Spire launched a satellite developed for King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), which aims to collect high-quality and high-resolution data across global terrestrial, coastal and ocean ecosystems and to help observe and characterize natural resources. 

The 6U satellite hosts a hyperspectral camera with advanced on-board processing capabilities in combination with Spire’s Global Navigation Satellite System-Reflectometry (GNSS-R) sensor payload that will collect intelligence on soil moisture. The data collected will allow KAUST researchers to compile and analyze high-resolution imagery that can be used for mapping terrestrial habitats, monitoring vegetation health and condition, exploring coastal ecosystems and coral reefs, and advancing agro-ecological research, as well as many other Earth and environmental science applications.

Simera Sense combines the +30 band HyperScape50 instrument with Unibap‘s (Sweden) SpaceCloud Services to create a payload with powerful artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. This combination of onboard processing and a hyperspectral sensor provides KAUST with the capacity for enhanced monitoring of the Earth system via a never before seen smallsat configuration.

The nanosatellite will carry a high-performance hyperspectral sensor with the capability to observe areas of interest anywhere in the world across more than 30 user-configurable spectral bands in the visible to near-infrared (VNIR) spectrum. Apart from delivering hyperspectral insights, the data generated by this sensor can also be combined with Spire’s GNSS receiver to monitor critical variables such as the presence of moisture in the soil.

The satellite will use a hyperspectral camera and Spire’s GNSS-R sensor payload to collect soil moisture intelligence. The data collected will be used for mapping terrestrial habitats, monitoring vegetation health, exploring coastal ecosystems, and advancing agro-ecological research. The GNSS-R instrument is particularly novel due to its form factor, processing 4 GNSS constellations to deliver up to 32 simultaneous reflection measurements. 

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and Spire Global (Spire), a leading provider of space-based data, analytics and space services, announced their plans to pursue a collaborative nanosatellite mission with the launch of KAUST CubeSat.

Sources [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Photo sources [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]
COTS subsystems
  • IMAGER - Simera Space MultiScape100
Subsystems sources [1]

Last modified: 2023-12-27

Feel free to connect at any time.

Created by Erik Kulu

Email: erik.kulu@nanosats.eu
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/erikkulu

Social Platforms

LinkedIn: Nanosats
Twitter: @nanosatellites

Sister Websites

NewSpace Index: newspace.im
Factories in Space: factoriesinspace.com

Copyright © 2014 - 2024 Erik Kulu