An Introduction to the NASA Hyperspectral InfraRed Imager (hyspiri) Mission and Preparatory Activities

In 2007, the NASA Hyperspectral InfraRed Imager (HyspIRI) mission was recommended in Earth Science and Applications from Space: National Imperatives for the Next Decade and Beyond (Decadal Survey) to address critical science questions in multiple areas, in particular ecosystems and natural hazards. HyspIRI is comprised of two instruments, a visible to short-wavelength infrared (VSWIR) imaging spectrometer and a thermal infrared (TIR) multispectral imager, together with an Intelligent Payload Module (IPM) for onboard processing and rapid downlink of selected data. The VSWIR instrument will have 10nm contiguous bands and cover the 380–2500nm spectral range with 30m spatial resolution and a revisit of 16days. The TIR instrument will have 8 discrete bands in the 4–13μm range with 60m spatial resolution and a revisit of 5days. With these two instruments in low Earth orbit, HyspIRI will be able to address key science and applications questions in a wide array of fields, ranging from ecosystem function and diversity to human health and urbanization.