High resolution images in the Thermal infrared provide a way to detect irrigated fields, to measure evapo-transpiration and detect plant water stress. Models and algorithms have largely improved to yield very good results. However the only inorbit satellites providing high resolution images in the thermal infrared domain (Landsat, Aster) are long beyond their design lifetime. Furthermore, they do not provide frequent acquisitions (1 image every 16 days for Landsat and Aster, while 1 image per couple of days would be required to monitor plant water stress). There is indeed a need for high resolution and high repetitivity thermal infrared data for hydrological applications.CNES carried out a feasibility study of such a mission on a microsatellite. The mission is called MISTIGRI (MicroSatellite for Thermal InfraRed Ground Surface Imaging). The preliminary payload design was performed by Thales Alenia Space for CNES. An instrumental concept was proposed which fulfils the mission requirements. The study addressed both cooled and uncooled solutions, although a micro-bolometer detector was preferred after trade-off. This paper addresses the results of the MISTIGRI payload feasibility study; it presents the mission requirements, the proposed instrumental concept, describes the major subsystems and provides the preliminary performance budgets.
RESUME :La contribution de la caméra thermique (TIR) à la mission d'observation de la Terre FUEGO est d'aider à la discrimination des nuages et des fumées à la détection des fausses alarmes des feux de forêts au suivi des feux de forêts Pour cela, la caméra doit couvrir une grande dynamique de luminances. Faibles volume, masse et puissance sont demandées pour tenir les objectifs de la petite charge utile FUEGO. Ces caractéristiques peuvent être intéressantes pour d'autres missions équivalentes.
ABSTRACT : The contribution of the thermal infrared (TIR) camera to the Earth observation
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