Mission and instrument comparison
Specifications describe the named instrument or product. Sampling, spectral resolution, swath, revisit and usable scene availability are different quantities.
| Mission / instrument | Status on 30 Sep 2026 | Spectral coverage | Spatial sampling / swath | Data and caveats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EnMAP | Operational; 2026 acquisitions confirmed. | 420–2450 nm (overlapping VNIR/SWIR spectrometers). | 30 m sampling; 30 km swath. | Registered-user archive via EOWEB / EOC Geoservice; acquisition proposals via planning portal. Archive coverage and targeted acquisitions are uneven; processing versions matter. Source 1 Source 2 Source 3 |
| PRISMA | Operational; launched in 2019. | Approximately 400–2500 nm; 240 total channels including overlap. | 30 m hyperspectral; 30 km swath; separate 5 m PAN. | Free registration via ASI PRISMA portal; catalogue accessible without registration. PAN sharpness does not make every hyperspectral band a native 5 m measurement; tasking quotas and priority apply. Source 1 Source 2 Source 3 |
| EMIT (ISS) | Extended mission through at least 2026; acquisition continuity confirmed in September 2026. | 380–2500 nm; 7.4 nm spectral sampling. | Approximately 60 m data sampling; nominal ~75 km swath/granule width at equator. | NASA Earthdata / LP DAAC and EMIT Open Data Portal. Targeted coverage from ISS; existing V1/V2 forward processing ended September 3 during transition to new products, without an acquisition gap. Source 1 Source 2 Source 3 Source 4 |
| DESIS (ISS) | Operating since 2018; archive and tasking available. | Approximately 400–1000 nm; 235 unbinned channels, 2.55 nm sampling. | Approximately 30 m sampling; ~30 km swath. | DLR scientific-use licensing, EOWEB / Geoservice; commercial access via Teledyne Brown. No SWIR. Geoservice L2A uses fourfold spectral binning (~10.2 nm); constrained tasking, not continuous large-area mapping. Source 1 Source 2 Source 3 |
| HySIS | Launched November 29, 2018; current 2026 acquisition health not confirmed by the primary pages reviewed. | VNIR + SWIR; payload-team calibration paper reports 400–2500 nm. | 30 m published sampling; swath omitted here pending current primary-specification verification. | Start with ISRO/NRSC Bhoonidhi and confirm collection, scene availability, and eligibility. Do not equate launch history with a current taskable service. The portal's general open-data policy does not prove a HySIS scene is available. Source 1 Source 2 Source 3 Source 4 |
| EO-1 Hyperion | Retired; EO-1 decommissioned in 2017. | Approximately 400–2500 nm; 220 channels. | 30 m sampling; ~7.5–7.7 km swath. | Public-domain archive via USGS EarthExplorer. Historical 2000–2017 data only; narrow, uneven archive coverage. Source 1 Source 2 Source 3 |
| PACE / OCI | Operational since February 2024; public data and 2026 reprocessing. | Continuous 315–895 nm; seven separate 940–2260 nm SWIR bands. | Approximately 1.2 km footprint at scan centre; ~2700 km swath. | NASA Earthdata / Ocean Biology DAAC. Designed for ocean/atmosphere and broad ecosystem observations; not 30 m land imaging or continuous VNIR–SWIR spectroscopy. Source 1 Source 2 Source 3 |
| Tanager-1 | Operating; first launched in August 2024. Tanager-2 last verified at launch site in August 2026. | Approximately 380–2500 nm; ~426 bands, ~5 nm spacing. | 30 m products; 18 km swath. | Planet commercial tasking and API; public emissions products are a separate service. Product modes and actual footprints matter; a growing fleet is not a guarantee of daily HSI coverage. Source 1 Source 2 Source 3 |
| Pixxel Firefly | Six satellites deployed in 2025; operational in 2026. | Approximately 470–890 nm; 135 available bands, up to 45 selectable per capture. | 5.4 m GSD; 38 km swath (August 2026 technical specification). | Commercial access/tasking via Pixxel Aurora or partners. VNIR only; effective ground resolution and cloud-free revisit vary. Technical documents state <7 / <4 day latitude-dependent revisit, despite daily-coverage marketing. Source 1 Source 2 |
| CHIME | In development; prime contractor confirmed September 24, 2026. No flight imagery yet. | Planned 400–2500 nm. | Planned 30 m sampling; ~130 km swath. | Future Copernicus mission; no operational CHIME data today. Specifications are planned; avoid presenting any launch year as a guarantee. Source 1 Source 2 |
Choose a measurement before choosing a mission
Satellite hyperspectral imaging is useful when the question concerns materials or processes over fields, forests, exposed rock, coastlines, or industrial areas. An imaging spectrometer samples many adjacent wavelengths, allowing analysis of absorption features and spectral shapes. A useful choice starts with four questions: does the instrument cover the wavelengths needed, is the target large enough for its pixels, is an appropriate scene available, and can the data be accessed under workable terms? The comparison below separates current imagery, historical archives, and future missions. Status and access were checked on 30 September 2026.
Accessible land spectroscopy: EnMAP and PRISMA
For accessible land research, EnMAP and PRISMA are strong starting points because both combine visible–near-infrared and shortwave-infrared spectroscopy with approximately 30 m sampling. EnMAP offers an archive through DLR and analysis-ready products through its Geoservice; PRISMA requires free registration through ASI. Their narrow swaths and tasking priorities mean that a published revisit capability does not guarantee a clear, usable image of every location on that schedule. PRISMA's separate 5 m panchromatic image can provide spatial context, but it does not turn the acquired hyperspectral cube into a native 5 m spectral measurement.
Primary source 1 Primary source 2 Primary source 3 Primary source 4 Primary source 5
ISS instruments: EMIT and DESIS
EMIT and DESIS are instruments mounted on the International Space Station, rather than independent Earth-observation satellites. EMIT combines broad VNIR–SWIR coverage with approximately 60 m sampling and has continued into an extended mission. DESIS samples the VNIR densely at roughly 30 m, but does not cover SWIR. Its scientific-use archive is valuable, while tasking resources are limited. Check the product itself: DESIS Geoservice data are spectrally binned, and EMIT entered a processing-version transition in September 2026. The official EMIT notice explicitly says that this transition does not create gaps in acquisitions.
Primary source 1 Primary source 2 Primary source 3 Primary source 4 Primary source 5 Primary source 6 Primary source 7
Ocean, atmosphere and ecosystems: PACE
A newer mission can solve a different problem rather than simply improve on every older instrument. PACE's Ocean Color Instrument is operational and supplies public spectroscopy for ocean, atmosphere, and broad ecosystem studies. Its kilometre-scale sampling and continuous UV-to-NIR coverage, supplemented by a few discrete SWIR bands, make it a different measurement from a 30 m land VNIR–SWIR cube. Hyperion remains useful for historical studies and method development, but EO-1 is retired and cannot supply a new acquisition. HySIS was launched in 2018; confirm current acquisition availability with ISRO/NRSC before treating it as a taskable 2026 service.
Primary source 1 Primary source 2 Primary source 3 Primary source 4 Primary source 5 Primary source 6 Primary source 7 Primary source 8
Commercial imagery: Tanager and Firefly
Commercial access has expanded. Planet's Tanager-1 supplies broad VNIR–SWIR imagery, while Pixxel's six Firefly satellites provide finer VNIR sampling. Firefly's August 2026 technical documentation states 5.4 m ground sampling, a 38 km swath, and up to 45 selected bands per capture from 135 available bands. Those details matter more than a headline band count or daily-coverage claim. Tanager-2 was shipped to its launch site in August 2026; the primary records reviewed do not establish a successful launch. Pixxel's planned Honeybee expansion into SWIR remains future, with its September 2026 announcement expecting the first satellite in 2027.
Primary source 1 Primary source 2 Primary source 3 Primary source 4 Primary source 5
Gaofen-5 and data-access context
China's Gaofen-5 family also belongs in the wider landscape. CNSA's English mission announcement confirms that Gaofen-5 01A entered use in 2024, and its July 2026 Chinese operational report documents continuing AHSI acquisitions and distribution. That evidence does not establish unrestricted international access; verify access and licensing for the exact collection. On the future side, CHIME remains in development, with planned 30 m sampling across a much wider ~130 km swath. NASA's current EAGLE program page describes EAGLE-VSWIR as a future mission with launch no earlier than 2028. Future capabilities should stay separate from datasets available today.
Primary source 1 Primary source 2 Primary source 3 Primary source 4
Spatial sampling and fine-grained targets
Spatial sampling is the hard limit for tiny targets. A nominal 30 m pixel represents about 900 square metres, and a 60 m pixel about 3,600 square metres; these areas are arithmetic illustrations, not a guarantee of resolved detail. A leaf, fruit, defect, small mineral grain, or laboratory specimen usually occupies only a fraction of such a measurement. Its spectrum mixes with neighbouring materials, shadow, and background. Spectral unmixing can estimate constituent proportions under assumptions, but cannot recreate a direct measurement of an unseen tiny object. Use close-range, drone, or airborne spectroscopy when the required target detail is smaller than the satellite footprint. Check atmospheric correction, cloud masks, illumination, spectral response, and independent validation before comparing spectra across instruments.
Primary sources
- Operational phase; 420–1000 nm VNIR and 900–2450 nm SWIR; 30 m sampling, 30 km swath; targeted off-nadir revisit differs from nadir cycle.
- Registered-user planning; archive via EOWEB; ARD via EOC Geoservice; processor-version caveat.
- September 2026 acquisition imagery and Sep 30–Oct 9, 2026 ordering-portal maintenance.
- Operational; launched March 22, 2019; 30 m HSI vs 5 m PAN.
- ASI May 2025 presentation: 400–2505 nm combined range, 240 total VNIR/SWIR bands with overlap, 30 m, 30 km swath, user request quota/priority; PRISMA Second Generation remains future.
- Free catalogue querying, imagery requires free PRISMA registration.
- ISS instrument; extended mission through at least 2026.
- 380–2500 nm; 7.4 nm sampling.
- 60 m data; nominal ~75 km granule dimensions at equator.
- Official LP DAAC User Services Sept11 2026 announcement: existing V1/V2 forward processing stopped Sep3; no gaps in acquisitions; existing data remains accessible during new-version processing.
- ISS instrument; ~400–1000 nm, 235 unbinned channels, 2.55 nm sampling, ~30 m / ~30 km.
- Operating since2018; continuously growing archive; geoservice L2A has fourfold spectral binning (~10.2 nm).
- Scientific licensing via DLR; tasking short proposal and resource constraints; commercial use contact TBE.
- ISRO Earth-observation satellite with VNIR and SWIR; does not confirm current acquisition health.
- Launched Nov29 2018.
- ISRO payload-team primary calibration paper (2024): 400–2500 nm and30 m; not a2026 status statement.
- Official EO browse/order entry point, open and priced products; HySIS collection availability not independently confirmed.
- ~400–2500 nm;30m;~7.5–7.7km swath;220 bands.
- EO-1 decommissioned March2017; archive2000–2017.
- Public-domain archive remains in EarthExplorer; no new acquisitions.
- OCI continuous315–895nm, 2.5nm spectral steps/5nm bandwidths; 7 discrete SWIRbands940–2260nm;1.2km center footprint,~2700km swath.
- Operations/sustainment afterFeb2024 launch.
- Public data; current processing OCI V3 and oceanL2/L3 V3.2 refinement April2026; product maturity matters.
- ~380–2500nm,426bands,~5nm spacing;30m products,18km swath; modes affect along-track footprints; API commercial imagery access.
- Sept10 2026 on-orbit performance andJul11 2026 acquisition; Tanager2 shipped, not confirmed launched.
- Aug31 2026 Tanager2 at launch site for upcomingTransporter18; no successful launch confirmation retrieved.
- Updated Aug27 2026 technical specs: operationalFirefly;470–890nm table (intro says470–900),135 available bands,45 selectable bands per capture,5.4mGSD,38km swath,<7/<4days latitude dependent.
- Sept7 2026 confirms sixFirefly deployed; firstHoneybee expected2027.
- CHIME developingCopernicus expansion mission, no current flight imagery.
- Prime contractor Sept24 2026: stillin development forlaunch;400–2500nm,30m spatial sampling,~130km swath. No launchdate stated.
- NASA program unveiledMarch24 2026; EAGLEVSWIR future mission, no earlierthan2028;16day surface observations stated. Avoid assuming olderSBG dates current.
- CNSA EnglishJan25 2024:GF5 01A inuse; launchedDec9 2022; VNIR–SWIR camera.
- CNSA ChineseJul15 2026 monthly report:June2026GF5 01A AHSI coverage/data distribution; translation needed; no global public access inferred.
- JPL: mixed spatial elements/unmixing; optimal sun/clear sky; atmospheric correction; contemporaneous independent validation.