Reflectance Measurement Method Based on Sensor Fusion of Frame-Based Hyperspectral Imager and Time-of-Flight Depth Camera
Hyperspectral imaging and distance data have previously been used in aerial, forestry, agricultural, and medical imaging applications. Extracting meaningful information from a combination of different imaging modalities is difficult, as the image sensor fusion requires knowing the optical properties of the sensors, selecting the right optics and finding the sensors’ mutual reference frame through calibration. In this research we demonstrate a method for fusing data from Fabry–Perot interferometer hyperspectral camera and a Kinect V2 time-of-flight depth sensing camera. We created an experimental application to demonstrate utilizing the depth augmented hyperspectral data to measu…
Noise reduction in asteroid imaging using a miniaturized spectral imager
In October 2024, European Space Agency’s Hera mission will be launched, targeting the binary asteroid Didymos. Hera will host the Juventas and Milani CubeSats, the first CubeSats to orbit close to a small celestial body performing scientific and technological operations. The primary scientific payload of the Milani CubeSat is the SWIR, NIR, and VIS imaging spectrometer ASPECT. The Milani mission objectives include mapping the global composition and the characterization of the binary asteroid surface. Onboard data processing and evaluation steps will be applied due to the limited data budget for the downlink to Earth and to perform the technological demonstration of a novel semi-autonomous h…
Hyperspectral imaging of asteroids using an FPI-based sensor
The compositions of asteroids are of interest for the planetary sciences, mining, and planetary defense. The main method for evaluating these compositions is reflectance spectroscopy. Spectroscopic measurements performed from Earth can not resolve how different materials are distributed on the asteroids, making flyby-- and rendezvous missions necessary for obtaining detailed information. Using the CubeSat platform could reduce the costs of these missions, but it also sets constraints on the payload mass and volume. One small and light instrument capable of producing spatially resolved spectral data is a hyperspectral imager based on the Fabry-Perot interferometer. We propose a method of cal…