by Riko Seibo
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Dec 08, 2025
IHI-SAT2, a hyperspectral 6U CubeSat constructed by Kongsberg NanoAvionics for Japan’s IHI Company, has reached orbit and established two-way communications shortly after deployment from a SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Transporter-15 rideshare mission launched from Vandenberg Area Power Base in California on 28 November 2025. The mission is meant as a step towards IHI’s deliberate Earth statement constellation, targeted on forest monitoring and associated functions.
The ultra-compact satellite tv for pc will acquire high-resolution hyperspectral imagery throughout a number of areas on Earth, supplying detailed knowledge to assist forest administration and picture evaluation actions at NeXT FOREST Company, a three way partnership between IHI and Sumitomo Forestry Firm Restricted. By producing wealthy spectral datasets at decrease mission price than conventional platforms, IHI-SAT2 is designed to underpin improvement of latest evaluation strategies and providers linked to forest property and carbon credit score schemes.
IHI-SAT2’s hyperspectral sensor will allow wide-area, fine-scale identification of tree species, in addition to assessments of progress circumstances and indications of illness which can be more durable to detect with standard optical imaging. In contrast with customary optical cameras, the satellite tv for pc’s hyperspectral payload measures gentle over narrower, extra quite a few wavelength bands, offering info that can be utilized to tell apart vegetation varieties and detect refined modifications in forest well being.
Kongsberg NanoAvionics has delivered a whole small satellite tv for pc answer for the mission, constructed on its 6U CubeSat bus and integrating the IHI-selected hyperspectral payload together with assist for environmental testing, launch preparation, and early orbit operations. The corporate notes that the flight continues its document of creating first contact on all of its greater than 50 satellite tv for pc missions thus far, reinforcing the efficiency and reliability of its small-satellite platform.
“With IHI-SAT2 now in orbit, we are able to speed up our potential to accumulate and analyse hyperspectral satellite tv for pc knowledge independently. This mission represents a key milestone towards constructing a sustainable forest administration and carbon credit score ecosystem,” stated Yoshifumi Asakura, Basic Supervisor of Area Techniques Enterprise Growth Workplace, Aero Engine, Area and Protection Enterprise Space, IHI Company.
Atle Wollo, CEO of Kongsberg NanoAvionics, stated: “The IHI-SAT2 mission demonstrates how industrial gamers are more and more utilizing small satellites as strategic property to create data-driven worth on Earth. By combining IHI’s engineering experience with our flight-proven satellite tv for pc know-how, this mission showcases how hyperspectral imaging can straight assist impartial local weather motion and the sustainable administration of pure assets.”
By way of IHI-SAT2, IHI goals to strengthen its capabilities in hyperspectral statement, knowledge evaluation, and satellite tv for pc operations, utilizing the mission to refine strategies for dealing with and exploiting hyperspectral datasets. Data gained from working this CubeSat is anticipated to feed into future satellite-based knowledge providers and broaden the vary of sectors the place IHI can apply space-derived info, together with functions past forestry.
Associated Hyperlinks
Kongsberg NanoAvionics
Earth Commentary Information – Suppiliers, Know-how and Utility
