HySpex

HySpex is the commercial hyperspectral imaging brand of Norsk Elektro Optikk AS (NEO), a Norwegian electro-optics company founded in Oslo in 1985.^[1][2] NEO describes a foundation-ownership structure that reinvests profits into R&D; the underlying legal chain has not been independently confirmed from a Norwegian company register.^[1] NEO holds ISO 9001:2015 certification and operates additional offices in Clinton, USA, and Berlin, Germany (HySpex GmbH, opened November 2024).^[3][4]

The instrument line spans three active families. The HySpex Classic series covers VNIR and SWIR push-broom spectrometers (VNIR-1800, VNIR-3000N, SWIR-384, SWIR-640, VS-1200) with NIST/PTB-traceable calibration; these are deployed by USGS and DLR as reference spectrometers for calibration and validation of satellite missions including EnMAP, PRISMA, and EMIT.^[5][6][7] The HySpex Mjolnir series is designed for airborne and UAV survey use, combining VNIR and SWIR in configurations from the single-sensor V-1240 and S-620 to the VS-620 dual-head unit (620 coregistered spatial pixels, 400-2500 nm, less than 6.5 kg); the Mjolnir V-1240 flew on Sceye's high-altitude platform system at 70,000 feet in August 2024.^[8][9][10] The HySpex Baldur series targets industrial process monitoring in pharmaceuticals, food quality, plastics sorting, and production control.^[11]

Beyond airborne and industrial instruments, NEO is developing the HySpex Methane Satellite Camera (MSC), a compact SWIR imager for methane detection co-funded under ESA's InCubed programme with a 12-month development cycle announced in Q1 2025; the MSC has not yet flown.^[12] NEO is also camera designer for the European Defence Agency's Hyper-IP consortium project (Jan 2025 to Q2 2026), which includes Flysight Srl, the Royal Military Academy, INO, IMEC, and Leonardo S.p.A.^[13]

Operator-reported customers include NASA, USGS, DLR, Louvre C2RMF, AngloAmerican, BHP, and Vale.^[14][7]