GHOSt is Orbital Sidekick's constellation of hyperspectral imaging microsatellites that persistently monitors Earth to detect chemical signatures such as pipeline leaks, contamination, and land-use change.
GHOSt
GHOSt is Orbital Sidekick's constellation of hyperspectral imaging microsatellites that persistently monitors Earth to detect chemical signatures such as pipeline leaks, contamination, and land-use change.
Description
GHOSt (Global Hyperspectral Observation Satellite) is Orbital Sidekick's flagship hyperspectral Earth-observation satellite constellation, the first US-based commercial fleet of persistent space-based platforms equipped with hyperspectral sensors. Each ~91.4 kg ESPA-class microsatellite, built by Astro Digital with mission integration by Maverick Space Systems, carries a proprietary hyperspectral imager capturing 500+ narrow contiguous spectral bands across the visible-to-shortwave-infrared range, at 8 meter ground sample distance for hyperspectral imagery and 3 meter for panchromatic imagery. The satellites fly in sun-synchronous orbit at roughly 525 km altitude, enabling up to daily revisit for priority sites. Onboard and cloud-based AI/ML processing chemically 'fingerprints' materials, feeding OSK's Spectral Intelligence analytics platform for real-time alerting. Primary target markets are energy and mining (pipeline integrity, methane and liquid hydrocarbon leak detection), agriculture and forestry, environmental monitoring, and defense and security. Flight heritage: GHOSt-1 and GHOSt-2 launched 15 April 2023, GHOSt-3 launched 12 June 2023, and GHOSt-4 and GHOSt-5 launched 4 March 2024, all via SpaceX Transporter rideshare missions, toward a planned six-satellite initial constellation.
Specifications
| Spectral bands | 500+ bands, 400-2,500 nm (VIS-SWIR) |
|---|---|
| Hyperspectral ground sample distance | 8 meters |
| Panchromatic GSD | 3 meters |
| Satellite mass | ~91.4 kg (ESPA-class microsatellite) |
| Orbit altitude | ~525 km, sun-synchronous |
| Revisit rate | Up to daily for priority sites |
| Constellation size | 6 satellites (initial), goal of 14-20 satellites long-term |
| Satellite bus manufacturer | Astro Digital |
| Mission integration | Maverick Space Systems |
| Flight heritage | GHOSt-1 & 2: 15 Apr 2023; GHOSt-3: 12 Jun 2023; GHOSt-4 & 5: 4 Mar 2024, all via SpaceX Transporter rideshare |