EO·Atlas
ALART Lidar Altimeter
Compiled from public sources on 2026-06-05. Not independently verified by cosine Research BV.
Work at cosine Research BV? This page is unclaimed. Claim it free to keep it accurate and add your links. What operators can do →
ALART is cosine's photon-counting time-of-flight lidar altimeter concept for vegetation-height monitoring, bathymetry, and follow-on multispectral lidar development.
ALART (Advanced Laser Ranging Technologies for Altimetry) is a photon-counting time-of-flight lidar altimeter developed under ESA Technology Research Programme contract T116-306MM.[1] The instrument targets vegetation-height retrieval, bathymetry, and multispectral lidar extension applications, with a design path toward follow-on multispectral lidar systems.[2][3]
The system operates at 532 nm with a pulse repetition frequency of 10,000 Hz across a three-beam configuration.[3] Photon-counting detection achieves a vertical resolution of 0.047 m and a vertical accuracy of 120 mm over a 48 m full-scale range.[3] The delivered airborne breadboard hardware has a mass of 10.6 kg and a power draw of 42 W.[3]
The ESA TRP study (contract T116-306MM, closed 2016) was scoped for spaceborne Earth observation missions.[1] The SPIE 2015 paper treats spaceborne vegetation-height retrieval as the primary design objective, with the 532 nm green channel selected to serve both canopy altimetry and shallow-water bathymetry scenarios.[2] The hardware delivered under the programme is a TRL-4 airborne breadboard; operational spaceborne deployment has not been documented in available sources.[3][1]
ALART is a demonstration-phase instrument. The cosine case study frames the airborne breadboard as a foundation for future lidar development, including multispectral and higher-channel-count variants.[3]
Pricing not publicly listed by operator
None on record.
- Spaceborne LiDAR altimetrypending review
ALART is an airborne photon-counting breadboard (TRL 4, ESA TRP T116-306MM) designed for spaceborne vegetation-height and bathymetry applications using 532 nm, 10 kHz PRF, 3-beam SPAD receiver. Not yet flown; capable-pending-review pending orbital demonstration.
- [1]Lidar altimeter (ALART) - cosine Research BVoperator marketing2026-06-05
- [2]Advanced laser ranging technologies for altimetry - ESA TRP T116-306MMagency doc2026-06-05
- [3]ALART: a novel lidar system for vegetation height retrieval from space, SPIE 9645, 96450E (2015)peer reviewed2026-06-05