Bremen, January 27, 2025. A higher frequency of extreme weather events is a direct consequence of climate change. This poses new challenges for agriculture. Prolonged droughts and storms associated with heavy rainfall are causing crop losses and threatening the food security of the world's growing population.
The Earth observation satellites of the European Space Agency ESA’s Copernicus program provide data that can help mitigate the consequences of climate change. For agriculture, the satellites provide information on soil conditions, crop health and the extent of damage events.
With the launch of new satellites, the Copernicus program's capacities in the field of agricultural monitoring are to be significantly expanded in the future. With CHIME (Copernicus Hyperspectral Imaging Mission for the Environment) and LSTM (Land Surface Temperature Monitoring), two missions are currently under development that will provide data in unprecedented spatial, spectral and temporal resolution.
To prepare users for the new satellites, ESA has launched the project “Advanced Agricultural Monitoring with Copernicus Expansion Missions”, or AgriCEM for short. The project is being carried out by a consortium of scientific institutes and industrial companies under the leadership of OHB System AG and aims to demonstrate the added value of the CHIME and LSTM instruments. The pilot application is the improved monitoring of sugar beets.
As the new satellites have not yet been launched, simulated data will be used to develop the algorithms for determining biophysical and biochemical characteristics of vegetation, and the land surface temperature. The results will then be used to derive indicators for crop health. Reference data will include on-site measurements in sugar beet fields in Germany, Poland and Italy, as well as data from the EnMAP satellite.
From 2029, the data from the real satellite instruments could be used in conjunction with the algorithms developed as part of AgriCEM to enable more targeted irrigation and the needs-based use of fertilizer and pesticides. This means that instead of irrigating, fertilizing or spraying the whole field, only the areas where a deficiency or pest has been detected are treated. This saves water and reduces the release of pollutants into the environment.
The AgriCEM project will run for two years and has a volume of 800,000 euros.
Partners:
- OHB System AG (coordinator)
- University of Twente
- Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology
- QZ Solutions
- KWS
About CHIME, LSTM and EnMAP
CHIME (Copernicus Hyperspectral Imaging Mission for the Environment): 2 hyperspectral satellites, 200 spectral bands in the range from visible light to short-wave infrared (400-2500 nm), revisit time 12.5 days, spatial resolution 30 m, launch of first satellite: 2029.
LSTM (Land Surface Temperature Monitoring): 2 satellites for precise measurement of land surface temperature, revisit time 1-3 days, spatial resolution <50 m, launch of first satellite: 2029.
EnMAP (Environmental Mapping and Analysis Program): German hyperspectral satellite, imaging range from 420 to 2450 nm (blue visible light to short-wave infrared) in 242 channels, shortest possible revisit time 4 days, spatial resolution 30 m, launch in April 2022, tasking mission.
Contact for media representatives:
Marianne Radel
Head of Corporate Communications
Phone: +49 421 2020 9159
Email: marianne.radel@ohb.de
Contact for investors and analysts:
Marcel Dietz
Investor Relations
Phone: +49 421 2020 6426
Email: ir@ohb.de