Title: CHPS: The Compact Hyperspectral Prism Spectrometer for Sustainable Land Imaging
Presenting Author: Nathan Leisso
Organization: Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.
Co-Author(s): Thomas Kampe

Abstract:
The multi-decadal data record from the Landsat series of instruments has provided a unique resource for addressing earths challenges associated with land cover change, land use, disaster relief, deforestation, regional planning and global change research. At Ball Aerospace, we are developing the Compact Hyperspectral Prism Spectrometer (CHPS) as a candidate imaging spectrometer technology for insertion into future Sustainable Land Imaging missions. The 2013 NRC report Landsat and Beyond: Sustaining and Enhancing the Nations Land Imaging Program recommended that the nation should "maintain a sustained, space-based, land-imaging program, while ensuring the continuity of 42-years of multispectral information." In support of this, NASA's Sustainable Land Imaging-Technology (SLI-T) program aims to develop a new generation of smaller, more capable, less costly payloads that meet or exceed current Landsat imaging capabilities. CHPS meets these objectives and will provide continuous visible-to-shortwave spectroscopic information at high spectral resolution. CHPS supports continuation of legacy Landsat data products as well as providing spectral information for a broader range of land science products. CHPS features full aperture full optical path calibration, exhibits extremely low straylight, and low polarization sensitivity. These are critical to meet the demanding SLI measurement objectives. In preparation for space-borne instrument development, Ball has developed an airborne instrument that will provide representative spectroscopic data and data products as well as conceptual designs for spaceflight deployment. We are now entering year 3 of a three-year program and are conducting science flights. In this presentation, we present laboratory performance data and data from our initial airborne engineering flights and an overview of projected spaceborne instrument performance.