Xenics' InGaAs SWIR detectors observe the earth out of space

Date Announced: 10 Oct 2013

Three of Xenics' new Xlin-1.7-3000 SWIR InGaAs detectors are aboard the ESA satellite Proba-V to map vegetation patterns across the face of the earth. This data can be used for alerting authorities to crop failures or monitoring the spread of deserts and deforestation. The first images were captured over Western France on May 15, 2013.

Proba-V got successfully launched by the new VEGA launcher from the Kourou space center on May 7th at 4am CET, after a 24 hour delay due to the local weather conditions. After starting up the satellite and stabilizing its position and orientation, the Vegetation instrument with the VNIR and SWIR imagers could be switched on for the first time on May 15th , well ahead of schedule. The extensive detector test and qualification program ensured the durability against the harsh launching conditions (shock, vibrations, temperature and pressure variations) and all systems turned out to be fully functional.

The image in attachment (courtesy ESA), is the first raw SWIR image transmitted by the Proba-V satellite to the ground station. It shows excellent central on-ground resolution of 100 meters, with a swath of approximately 400 kilometers. Having such high-quality images ahead of schedule without calibration correction, underlines the high intrinsic performance of the InGaAs sensor, the ROIC and the corresponding read-out electronics, all designed and manufactured by Xenics. The stitching of the individual images of three mechanically butted InGaAs arrays results in the typical shape of the image with an upward offset of the central 1024 pixels. Proba-V is equipped with three such detectors, expanding the total swath to 2200 km (divided over approximately 9000 pixels) with a reduced on-ground resolution of the outer sensors. With the support of Xenics, Proba-V is set to provide the world with valuable daily updates of the global vegetation status.

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