ESA is offering access to satellite-based thermal infrared imaging in a new Announcement of Opportunity for HotSat-1.

HotSat-1 is the first of a planned constellation of nine satellites, and was the first commercial satellite to offer high-resolution thermal infrared imagery for Earth observation. The satellite operated from June to December 2023 and was developed by Satellite Vu.

The goal of the HotSat constellation is to track heat variations from industries, infrastructure and other assets, providing valuable insights into energy efficiency, environmental monitoring and the impacts of climate change.

HotSat-1 acquired thermal data up to a resolution of 3.5 metres with a revisit rate of one to two days. The satellite’s Mid Wave InfaRed (MWIR) instrument was capable of determining temperature differences as small as 2°C or better.

The Announcement of Opportunity for HotSat-1 enables researchers to request scenes from the archive. Two product options are available: 

• Visual product
• Prototype Bright Temperature product – Available upon request for selected scenes 

Access to the data requires submission of a Project Proposal, which will be evaluated by ESA. 

The HotSat-1 opportunity is open until 30 April 2025.

Go to the Announcement of Opportunity page to learn more