Jointly developed by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the Japan Space Systems, the Hyperspectral Imager SUIte (HISUI) was launched from the US Cape Canaveral Air Force Base toward the International Space Station (ISS) on December 6, 2019 (Japan time). On the 12th of December, HISUI was successfully installed to the Kibo’s Exposed Facility and is currently undergoing an initial checkout.
Using the data acquired from the instrument commissioning, a demonstration processing has been conducted and we are pleased to publish this as the first-light image.
Following the initial checkout as well as the sensor calibration, accuracy confirmation of the imagery data, maintenance of ground data processing etc., it is scheduled to start nominal operation observation from November 2020, and will begin its application demonstration by March 2021.
HISUI’s high-spectral resolution data enables precise identification of substances on the surface of the earth. In the natural resources sector, it is possible to grasp the distribution of many minerals that are important indicators for resource exploration. Other applications include detailed classification of important forests and vegetation in the environmental sector, grasping the state of crops and soil in the agriculture sector, etc. New information that is not available in the widely used multispectral data will be
obtained, and it is expected to be used in a wide range of sectors.
