Overview of the technical and scientific status of the EnMAP imaging spectroscopy mission

Abstract:

The Environmental Mapping and Analysis Program (EnMAP) is a spaceborne imaging spectroscopy mission being developed by a consortium of German Earth observation institutions. EnMAP will contribute to the development and exploitation of spaceborne imaging spectroscopy applications by making high-quality data freely available to scientific users worldwide.

The core payload of EnMAP consists of a dual-spectrometer instrument measuring in the optical spectral range between 420 and 2450 nm. EnMAP images will cover a 30 km wide area in the across-track direction with a ground sampling distance of 30 m. An across-track tilted observation capability will enable a target revisit time of up to 4 days at Equator and better at high latitudes. EnMAP is currently scheduled for launch in 2018, with an expected mission lifetime of 5 years.

An overview of the main characteristics and current status of the mission will be provided in this contribution. Among others, this presentation will cover on-going activities such as the implementation of the EnMAP end-to-end scene simulator and the development of a collection of scientific algorithms to be made available to the user community as part of the EnMAP-BOX software. We will discuss the potential of the data acquired during the U.S. NASA Remote Measurement Science Campaign deployed for the preparation for the future HyspIRI mission as an input for on-going EnMAP activities.