Elbit Launches its Novel Hyperspectral Payload for Aerospace Mission

Elbit Systems Electro Optical ancillary El-Op has launched its hyperspectral (HS) smart payload system called, Chariot of Fire at the Aerospace Israel convention, 2010.

This system is recently utilized in UAVs or aircraft and can be advanced in the coming years to aid satellite operations. This double-usage payload has already been used in Israel and in other countries for numerous missions, such as for detecting uranium pollution from mining activity, spillage from water treatment units and oil spills and sensing operation. The company’s unit is already fabricating a multiple-spectral image sensing device for a satellite deployed for French-Israeli VeNUS mission.

The payload features a unique application hyperspectral imager, incorporating various sensors concurrently collecting scattered radiation which falls in the 0.35 – 2.5 nm range in the 215 spectral regions. The imager is integrated with on-board GPS/INS sensing unit delivering geo-referencing for each pixel. The payload also encompasses an imaging system in a panchromatic-mode, enabling high-resolution view of the target area under inspection. The resolution of these HS sensor is about two meters and has a terrain coverage efficiency of 100 square km per hour which can function in daylight, for nearly eight hours. The functional operation of the flight can be targeted at night and information can be gathered during daylight period. This can perform its function over 25,000 meters in altitude with a velocity of about 120 knots, demonstrating its effective operation in high altitude UAVs.