Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 7, 2025
09:19
Measuring the Structure, Composition, and Change of Underwater Environments with Large-area Imaging
Published on: April 18, 2025
356
High-resolution ocean color imagery from the SeaHawk-HawkEye CubeSat mission
Philip J Bresnahan1,2, Sara Rivero-Calle3, John Morrison4
1Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, NC, USA. bresnahanp@uncw.edu.
Scientific Data
|November 18, 2024
Summary
The SeaHawk CubeSat mission successfully launched the first high-resolution ocean color imager, HawkEye, providing valuable data for aquatic ecology and environmental change studies.
Area of Science:
- Earth and Space Sciences
- Remote Sensing
- Oceanography
Background:
- Traditional ocean color satellite missions offer limited spatial resolution for detailed coastal and aquatic studies.
- CubeSat technology presents an opportunity for cost-effective, high-resolution Earth observation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate the feasibility of a CubeSat-based ocean color imager for research-grade data collection.
- To achieve higher spatial resolution imagery compared to existing ocean color missions.
- To provide open access to calibrated, quality-controlled oceanographic data.
Main Methods:
- Launched the 3U SeaHawk CubeSat with the HawkEye ocean color sensor.
- Collected 7,471 push-broom images at 130 x 130 m spatial resolution.
- Designed the sensor using commercial off-the-shelf optoelectronics to meet NASA SeaWiFS specifications.
Main Results:
- Achieved unprecedented spatial resolution for ocean color remote sensing.
- Successfully collected a global dataset of calibrated and quality-controlled imagery.
- Demonstrated the suitability of the data for coastal, estuarine, and limnological applications.
Conclusions:
- The SeaHawk mission proved the viability of CubeSats for high-resolution ocean color remote sensing.
- The collected data offers significant potential for advancing aquatic ecology and environmental change research.
- Open access to this dataset facilitates broader scientific inquiry and application.
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