Hyperspectral Imaging for Environmental Research
HEIMDAL is a student-led space project from Aarhus University and the 海角社区, developed as part of the REXUS/BEXUS programme.
It demonstrates the use of hyperspectral imaging to classify land cover and biodiversity, serving as a precursor to the upcoming DISCO-3 satellite mission.
Plan
The primary objective of HEIMDAL is to validate a hyperspectral imaging system for Earth observation from near-space altitudes (roughly 20–35 km). With this mission, students aim to test instrument stability, image quality, and environmental resilience of hardware designed to eventually be used on space missions.
In addition, the project serves as an educational platform, giving participants real experience with balloon launch operations, data acquisition, and remote sensing workflows.
Target
HEIMDAL demonstrates how this technology can be applied to:
- Classify land cover (e.g., forests, farmland, urban areas).
- Differentiate clouds from snow in the atmosphere.
- Identify biomass and wetlands using spectral data.