In January, ESA will mark the end of its long-running CHRIS sensor onboard the PROBA-1 satellite in a special workshop.

Taking place on 18 and 19 January 2024, in Ghent, Belgium, the PROBA-1 CHRIS End of Mission Workshop will bring together scientists and data users to discuss and present on the results of the mission.

PROBA-1 (Project for On-Board Autonomy) was launched in 2001, to test different instruments on a cubesat. Only intended to perform experiments for a single year, the satellite continued to function for over 20 years, earning it the distinction of ESA’s longest-operating Earth observation mission. Its primary instrument, CHRIS (Compact High Resolution Imaging Spectrometer), acquired images until December 2022, at which point PROBA-1’s operational mission ended.

The main topics of the end of mission workshop are:

• General presentations about the PROBA-1 CHRIS mission
• Presentation of results using PROBA-1 CHRIS data
• PROBA-1 CHRIS data in comparison to other hyperspectral missions

Another important subject of the workshop is the future of CHRIS data. With an historical dataset of over 20 years, it is expected that CHRIS could provide helpful information for climate studies, utilising its hyperspectral data and multiple view angles. During the workshop, participants will provide feedback about the future reprocessing of the CHRIS archive, with the aim to achieve CEOS Analysis Ready Data (ARD) specifications for surface and aquatic reflectance.

Registration to the workshop and abstract submission are now open.

If you would like to present at the workshop, please submit your abstract by 13 November.

Register to attend by 9 January.

We look forward to seeing you in Belgium to talk about PROBA-1 and what is next for this successful small satellite, which remains in operation with the other instruments and will continue to serve as a test bed for future missions.