ASTER (Terra)

ASTER is a cutting-edge imaging instrument on the NASA Terra satellite, offering wide spectral coverage and medium spatial resolution for various applications.

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Technical Specifications

ProviderNASA
Satellites1
ResolutionVNIR: 15m 
SWIR: 30m 
TIR: 90m
Swath width60km at nadir
Accuracy20-30m at nadir
BandsVNIR Band 1 (Green): 520-600 nm 
VNIR Band 2 (Red): 630-690 nm 
VNIR Band 3 (NIR): 780-860 nm 
SWIR Band 4: 1.6-1.7 μm 
SWIR Band 5: 2.145-2.185 μm 
SWIR Band 6: 2.185-2.225 μm 
SWIR Band 7: 2.235-2.285 μm 
SWIR Band 8: 2.295-2.365 μm 
SWIR Band 9: 2.36-2.43 μm 
TIR Band 10: 8.125-8.475 μm 
TIR Band 11: 8.475-8.825 μm 
TIR Band 12: 8.925-9.275 μm 
TIR Band 13: 10.25-10.95 μm 
TIR Band 14: 10.95-11.65 μm
CoverageUp to 43,000 km² per day
Altitude705 km

About

ASTER, or the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflectance Radiometer, is a state-of-the-art imaging instrument onboard NASA's Terra satellite. Terra was launched in 1999 and has five instrument sensor systems, with ASTER being one of them. It provides a unique combination of wide spectral coverage and medium spatial resolution, making it valuable for a wide array of applications, including hazard monitoring, geology and soils, and land surface climatology. ASTER consists of three subsystems - VNIR, SWIR, and TIR - and is capable of generating along-track stereo image pairs for creating digital elevation models.

Multispectral and thermal imaging
Multispectral and thermal imaging

Multispectral and thermal imaging for vegetation, soil, hydrology, and resource management applications.

Wide swath width
Wide swath width

Swath width of 60km at nadir, providing broad coverage for a range of applications

Spectral analysis
Spectral analysis

Used within Geoimage's Spectral Suite, a set of image enhancements that make use of data from ASTER.

Features and Benefits

  • ASTER's multispectral and thermal imaging capabilities enable it to capture high-quality data for a wide array of applications, including vegetation and soil analysis, land surface climatology, hydrology, geology, and natural resource management. This makes it a valuable tool for industries and organisations that require accurate and up-to-date information.
  • ASTER has a swath width of 60km at nadir, providing broad coverage for a range of applications.
  • ASTER can capture data in different modes, including nadir, forward, and backward, providing flexibility in data acquisition and enabling a wide range of applications.
  • ASTER consists of three subsystems - Visible and Near Infrared (VNIR), Shortwave Infrared (SWIR), and Thermal Infrared (TIR). This provides a broad range of spectral and thermal data, making it valuable for a wide range of applications.
  • ASTER's data is precisely calibrated and validated, ensuring accuracy and reliability in its applications.

Sample Images

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