The most important questions about the German hyperspectral satellite will be answered in this short article. Ready?
What is EnMAP capable of?
The hyperspectral instrument that the satellite will carry on board will enable the satellite to record the solar radiation reflected from the Earth’s surface in a range from visible light to the short-wave infrared range in continuous spectra. In this way, it will be possible to generate high-resolution spectral images that allow quantitative findings to be made about the mineralogical composition of rocks, the damage to plants by air pollutants, the water quality of lakes and coastal waters or the degree of soil pollution.
What else is EnMAP capable of?
The hyperspectral instrument that the satellite will carry on board consists of two imaging spectrometers with a total of 242 recording bands in a wavelength range from 420 to 2,450 nanometers.
How can EnMAP scan the Earth?
The satellite can be rotated 30 degrees, resulting in a possible maximum of four days’ revisiting time for any point on the Earth’s surface.
Where was the hyperspectral instrument built?
The satellite has been engineered at the OHB “Optics and Science” space center in Oberpfaffenhofen. Although EnMAP is primarily a scientific mission, there is clear potential for developing operational applications, such as for agriculture or environmental protection. The satellite is being developed and built by OHB System AG on behalf of the German Space Agency at DLR with funding provided by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (BMWi).
At which altitude does EnMAP operate?
EnMAP operate on its sun-synchronous Earth orbit at an altitude of around 650 kilometers.