First Australian-Built Hyperspectral Imager in Orbit, crafted in the Braggs Building!

The CyanoSat payload was designed and built in just 18 months by CSIRO in partnership with the University of Adelaide at its labs in the Braggs Building on the North Terrace campus. Deployed in low-Earth orbit, the instrument is a compact hyperspectral imager. Capable of analysing a wide spectrum of colours and light, hyperspectral imaging cameras capture detailed information beyond the capability of our eyes.

CyanoSat is designed to detect blue-green algae and distinguish cyanobacteria from other algae in coastal and inland waterways. Identifying cyanobacteria is important for:

• Assessing water quality
• Addressing the influence of human activities
• Public health protection
• Natural habitat protection

Aside from successfully generating its first image, the CyanoSat payload tested its onboard electronics, short burst image captures, remote reprogramming, and onboard processing algorithms. 

Congratulations to Craig Ingram (Project leader, CSIRO), and Joshua Pease Ph.D.(Research Associate, School of PCES), Eugene McNearney (Mechatronic Engineer, School of PCES), Martin O'Connor (Associate Professor, School of PCES), and Jared Waterman (Computer Science, School of PCES) for their remarkable achievement.

Read the Space Connect Article
Read more on the CyanoSat on CSIRO's website