Proba-1 performs autonomous guidance, navigation, control, onboard scheduling and payload resources management. Its payload includes a compact multi-spectral imager and high-resolution camera.

Just 60x60x80 cm and weighing only 94 kg, Proba-1 aims to use and demonstrate automatic functions, both onboard and in the mission ground segment.

Proba-1's main payload is a hyperspectral instrument weighing just 14 kg called CHRIS – standing for Compact High Resolution Imaging Spectrometer. Despite this small size and a power requirement of just nine watts CHRIS can image an 18.6 sq km area at multiple angles, achieving a resolution of 18 m in up to 19 programmable spectral bands. Furthermore its agile platform can be tilted during acquisition to provide images of the same site taken at different angles.

That means CHRIS returns a wealth of biophysical and biochemical data as well as visual information about a given target, and can be used for activities including environmental monitoring, crop forecasting, forest cataloguing and marine science.

Also aboard is the compact High-Resolution Camera (HRC), which acquires black and white 25-km square images to a resolution of five metres.
 
 

Launch 22 October 2001 from Sriharikota, India Launcher Antrix/ISRO PSLV-C3 Launch mass 94 kg Number of technological payloads 6 including autonomous star tracker and GPS sensor Number of instruments 8 including Compact High Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (CHRIS) Orbit Sun synchronous altitude 681x561 km Inclination 97.9 degrees Time for one orbit 96.97 hours Cycle Approximately 7 day repeat

 
 
Last update: 27 May 2009