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Spinoff story
Pointing Platform Enables Earth Imaging from Space Station
A real-world story of NASA technology finding a life beyond the mission.
About this technology
Overview
Although Earth-pointing satellites are increasingly common, the space station offers a more affordable option for orbiting science-grade imagers. ISS’s National Laboratory, overseen at Johnson Space Center, partnered with Huntsville, Alabama-based Teledyne Brown Engineering to outfit the station with the Multi-User System for Earth Sensing, which can house multiple payloads and can point with extreme accuracy. The first customer, the German Aerospace Center, installed a hyperspectral imager that will help inform Germany on issues like climate protection and food security. The images are also available for purchase from Teledyne Brown.