Multi-band Infrared Sensor For Earth Observation

Abstract

A new CubeSat is in development by students and professors of the University of Liège and the Centre Spatial de Liège. The CubeSat OUFTI-NEXT will measure the hydric stress in crop fields in order to enhance the management efficiency of the water resources for agriculture. This CubeSat incorporates a thermal imager to capture the electromagnetic radiation of the infrared band. In this project, it is analysed the performance of the different infrared detectors that can be used within the CubeSat optical instrument.

There are a few examples of CubeSat missions observing in the Mid-Wave Infrared Band or in the Long-Wave Infrared band. However, any of these missions can observe in both bands at the same time. This Master Thesis describes the feasibility of an optical instrument for a CubeSat observing in both bands with the use of a single detector. With this aim, the performance of the two main groups of infrared detectors, photodetectors and thermal detectors, is measured in terms of temperature resolution and signal-to-noise ratio in the space environment. These computations are carried on with the model of equations developed in this Master Thesis.