Carbon Mapper Phase 1: Two Upcoming VNIR-SWIR Hyperspectral Imaging Satellites

Starting in 2023, the Carbon Mapper public-private partnership will launch two imaging spectrometers into low earth orbit as the first demonstration satellites for a larger, emerging constellation. This mission is a critical collaboration between several partners including Planet, Carbon Mapper, Arizona State University, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the University of Arizona, the High Tide Foundation, California Air Resources Board, and the Rocky Mountain Institute. This hyperspectral constellation will complement Planet’s existing high-spatial and high-temporal mission lines and increase the ability to measure and monitor the impacts of climate change on our planet and tackle dynamic, wide-ranging and complex challenges such as sustainability. Each satellite is equipped with a 400 - 2500 nm hyperspectral imaging system capable of addressing a wide range of applications. The core mission for the Carbon Mapper Mission is to monitor climate risks (methane, CO₂) but it has capacity to collect data for other sectors such as Defense, Intelligence, Agriculture, Mining, and others. The Carbon Mapper Mission is a tasked system and is designed to be responsive to dynamic events where analysis in a matter of days or hours may be important. In this paper, we provide an overview of the anticipated technical capabilities of the system and discuss applications for the Defense and Intelligence communities. We will also outline how the Carbon Mapper Mission can work in conjunction with the rest of the Planet constellations to enable unique fusion products.