The Compact Hyperspectral Prism Spectrometer for Space (Space-CHPS): Advancing Spaceborne Prism-based Imaging Spectroscopy of the Earth (Space-CHPS)

Spaceborne imaging spectroscopy provides a unique capability for monitoring environmental challenges associated with land cover change, land use, deforestation, disaster relief, regional planning, and global change. These fall within the Carbon Cycle and Ecosystems and Climate Variability and Change focus areas and are a priority of NASA's Earth Science Research Program. The National Research Council's 2013 Landsat and Beyond: Sustaining and Enhancing the Nations Land Imaging Program report recommended that the nation should ""maintain a sustained, space-based, land-imaging program, while ensuring the continuity of 42-years of multispectral information"". The Compact Hyperspectral Prism Spectrometer for Space (Space-CHPS) continues NASA ESTO's investment in advanced visible-to-shortwave infrared hyperspectral instrument technology through the technology maturation of the CHPS instrument for space flight. The unique prism imaging spectrometer that is the backbone of the CHPS instrument architecture provides high fidelity spectroscopic data without stray light artifacts inherent to grating imaging spectrometers and it provides low polarization sensitivity that enables inland and coastal water science. These capabilities were successfully demonstrated in the laboratory and on airborne campaigns with CHPS-AB instrument that was developed on NASA's Sustainable Land Imaging -- Technology (SLI-T) program and resulted in an exit TRL of 5. We propose the technology maturation of Space-CHPS to TRL-6 by furthering the development of the CHPS spectrometer module for space flight including a reduction in spectrometer volume to meet Small Sat spacecraft accommodation requirements, ruggedization of the spectrometer module for spaceflight, focal plane and electronics upgrades for low noise, spectrometer performance testing, and environmental testing of the spectrometer in relevant environments. Successful completion will poise Space-CHPS for the opportunity for rapid insertion for space including ride share opportunities.

Increase scientific understanding of natural phenomena using remote sensing.

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