The first images from the Italian Space Agency satellite were presented to the public. Captured by the hyperspectral sensor, they were received in Matera and processed by a team of engineers and scientists.
The first results of the mission confirm the capacity of PRISMA and the effectiveness of its hyperspectral sensor.
Le Bourget (Paris), 18 June 2019. Water transparency, crop health, drought and fire risk, air pollution: today the Italian Space Agency (ASI) has presented new images from the PRISMA satellite, able to shed light on the state of health of our planet and contribute to achieving the United Nations' sustainable development goals (SDGs). Thanks to the hyperspectral sensor, the first of its kind ever launched in Europe and built by Leonardo, PRISMA thus proves to be a versatile guardian to protect the environment.
The spectacular photographs were captured in Italy, Peru and Iraq by the powerful hyperspectral sensor aboard PRISMA during the commissioning of the system. Managed by the Fucino Space Center, this phase allows the testing of the satellite and its instrumentation through in-orbit tests, to make the system fully operational and its data available to the scientific community. The images were then received by the Matera Space Center, where a team composed of specialized personnel from ASI, Leonardo, Planetek, Telespazio / e-GEOS and OHB Italia processed them with the support of scientists from IREA / CNR and the University of Studies of Milan, Bicocca.
Launched in orbit, the 22 March, PRISMA, owned by ASI and built by an RTI led by OHB Italia and Leonardo, is the first European Earth observation system equipped with an innovative hyperspectral optical sensor, able to carry out an chemical-physical analysis of the areas under observation. The first, exciting results of the mission confirm the capabilities of the Italian space system, which has acquired a very important know-how, now available for future hyperspectral missions in Europe and in the world.
The first image depicts the Trasimeno, the fourth largest Italian lake, a natural basin of 128 km2. Its water resources are fundamental for tourism, agriculture and fishing. In less than 2 seconds, PRISMA measured the turbidity at every point of the lake, detecting the clearest waters and algae colonies. Water is the most precious resource, and its careful management, in line with the "clean water" and "underwater life" SDGs represents, in an age of climate change, a fundamental commitment to future generations.
In Peru, PRISMA detected the water content in crops, distinguishing well-irrigated fields from those affected by drought. Sustainable agriculture is a great challenge for humanity: by focusing on "zero hunger" and "sustainable production and consumption", as indicated by the United Nations SDGs, PRISMA allows unprecedented monitoring of water scarcity in vegetation, offering new tools for precision farming.
Around 65.000 fires occur in Europe each year, 85% of which occur in the Mediterranean area. Water monitoring by PRISMA, applied to forests, can provide a precursor signal of fire risk: the third image shows us an example in which the most advanced technology can be used to save lives and animals, protect biodiversity and the soil from hydrogeological risks caused by fires. In Castel Fusano (Rome), a naturalistic area endangered by frequent fires, PRISMA conducted two analyzes: the state of the vegetation, evaluating the chlorophyll content in the plants, and the water content in the various parts of the park, identifying the driest areas and therefore most at risk.
Gas fires related to oil extraction in Basra (Iraq) have also been resumed by PRISMA. In addition to the ability to accurately determine the extent of the fire, hyperspectral technology allows to recognize the chemical substances generated by combustion: carbon dioxide (CO2) and other hydrocarbons have their hyperspectral fingerprint and PRISMA is able to measure it by characterizing pollution air pollution.
PRISMA reveals all its ability to monitor the delicate terrestrial ecosystem: it recognizes not only the conditions of water and soil throughout the world, but also the state of the atmosphere and the chemical substances that populate it, which is extremely useful in case of natural disasters. The exciting images presented today offer a taste of what the satellite can guarantee when it is fully operational: a huge contribution to pollution control and environmental changes, a fundamental support for the management of natural resources and emergencies.
DEEPENING: PRISMA, an all-Italian excellence
PRISMA, owned by the Italian Space Agency (ASI), represents an excellence derived from the scientific and industrial capacity of our country to team up. The satellite, launched 22 March 2019 with the VEGA vector produced by AVIO, was created by a Temporary Grouping of Companies, headed by OHB Italia, responsible for the mission and management of the three main segments (land, flight and launch), and Leonardo, who created the hyperspectral electro-optical instrumentation, as well as various on-board equipment, such as attitude sensors and the solar panel. The mission control center was set up by Telespazio (Leonardo 67%, Thales 33%) at Fucino, while the acquisition and processing of data takes place at the Matera Space Center.