Test flights demonstrate new concept for ocean color retrieval
The Multi-Slit Optimized Spectrometer (MOS) prototype instrument is an airborne sensor designed to demonstrate and validate the multislit concept for hyperspectral ocean color retrievals with real-world scenes. The instrument design represents a new option for hyperspectral sensing: MOS multiplexes a scene by imaging from four slits at the same time. This method allows the MOS sensor to cover the field of regard four times faster than a single slit spectrometer, while achieving the same signal-to-noise ratio. This new technology enables faster revisit times compared to traditional spectrometer concepts—all with an instrument that is smaller and 3-4 times lighter than previous sensors. The technology used to develop MOS could dramatically reduce payload size and mission risk for a geostationary mission.