Mission Overview
HyTI-2 measures thermal infrared radiation across many wavelengths, giving researchers more information about what a scene is made of and how it changes over time.
Developed by the Hawaiʻi Space Flight Laboratory, HyTI-2 builds on the original HyTI technology demonstration. It is the primary payload for Active Cooling for Multispectral Earth Sensors (ACMES), a NASA Earth Science and Technology Office InVEST mission led by Utah State University.
The mission pairs hyperspectral imaging with active cooling and onboard processing. The team will use it to evaluate how small satellites can collect and process thermal infrared data for Earth observation and space domain awareness.
Payload and Technology
Cryogenic detector
The focal plane sits inside a vacuum-insulated assembly. A Stirling cryocooler holds the detector at a stable operating temperature to support sensitive thermal measurements.
Active thermal control
A pumped fluid loop carries waste heat to a steerable radiator. The radiator can turn away from the Sun to improve heat rejection.
Onboard processing
The Space Edge Processor is designed to turn raw observations into calibrated Level 1 hyperspectral image cubes in near real time, before the spacecraft sends data to Earth.
Publications
- HyTI-2: Advancing Hyperspectral Thermal Imaging Into the Era of Space-Based Edge ProcessingM. Nunes et al. · Small Satellite Conference, 2026 · SSC26-VII-01
- HyTI-2: A Cryogenic LWIR Hyperspectral Instrument for High-Duty-Cycle Space Domain AwarenessM. Nunes et al. · AMOS Conference, 2026
- Cryocooler/Thermal System Design and Performance on the HyTI-2 Flight MissionC. S. Kirkconnell et al. · International Cryocooler Conference, 2026 · Cryocoolers, vol. 24
- HyTI-2: A Next-Generation Hyperspectral LWIR Payload Enabled by Active Thermal Architecture for Small SatellitesM. Nunes et al. · Small Satellites Systems and Services Symposium, 2026 · Paper 215
