The Joint NASA/JPL-ASI Surface Biology and Geology Thermal Infrared (SBG-TIR) Project

In response to the recommendations from the 2017 U.S. National Academies decadal survey for Earth science, NASA initiated the Surface Biology and Geology (SBG) designated observable with five key research and applications focus areas: climate, ecosystems and natural resources, hydrology, solid Earth, and weather. SBG includes spaceborne measurements in the visible to shortwave infrared (0.4-2.5 micron) and in the mid- and thermal infrared (4-12 micron). High-level thermal infrared (TIR) data products include Earth surface temperature & emissivity, evapotranspiration, substrate composition, volcanic plumes, and high-temperature features. A team of scientists and engineers from the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (NASA/JPL), Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI), Istituto Nazionale Geofisica e Volcanologia (INGV), and the Istituto Nazionale Astrofisica (INAF) are now collaborating on an SBG-TIR joint project. In this concept, the JPL TIR instrument is an eight-band radiometer with a ground sampling distance (GSD) of <60 m at nadir and <3-day revisit time. A two-band ASI visible and near infrared (VNIR) camera with <30 m GSD at nadir complements the TIR instrument. Both will be mounted on an ASI-provided spacecraft platform and launched into space on an ASI-provided launch vehicle. A multi-year international development effort will lead to a launch in the second half of this decade. To maximize the science and applications benefits the SBG-TIR team is also collaborating with personnel from the ESA Land Surface Temperature Monitoring mission (LSTM) as well individuals from the Thermal Infrared Imaging Satellite for High-resolution Natural resource Assessment (TRISHNA), a joint mission by CNES and ISRO. Keywords: Thermal, thermal infrared (TIR), thermal radiometer, visible and near-infrared (VNIR)