EO·Atlas
ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer)
Compiled from public sources on 2026-05-25. Not independently verified by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.
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Three-telescope multispectral imaging radiometer aboard Terra (EOS AM-1), jointly developed by METI/Japan and NASA, covering 14 bands from visible through thermal infrared (520-11650 nm). VNIR 15 m, SWIR 30 m (non-operational since approximately April 2008), TIR 90 m, 60 km swath. The pre-2008 SWIR archive (bands 4-9, 1.60-2.43 um, with bands 6-9 at 2.145-2.43 um particularly diagnostic for clay, carbonate, and sulphate alteration mineral identification) is the foundational global dataset for regional lithological and mineral alteration mapping.
ASTER, the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer, is a passive optical sensor on Terra.[1][2] It combines VNIR, SWIR and TIR subsystems into a 14-band instrument spanning approximately 520 nm to 11650 nm, with VNIR data at 15 m, SWIR data at 30 m and TIR data at 90 m over a 60 km swath.[2][3]
The buyer-relevant caveat is operational currency: ASTER's SWIR detectors stopped functioning, so SWIR data acquired since April 2008 are not usable; the pre-2008 SWIR archive remains the relevant source for applications that depend on bands 4-9.[4][5] JAXA is identified as the instrument manufacturer in agency handbook material.[5]
| Methodology | Evidence | Mission |
|---|---|---|
| lst-emissivity-retrieval | demonstrated | Terra |
| thermal-anomaly-detection | capable | Terra |
| vegetation-index-mapping | capable | Terra |
Pricing not publicly listed by operator
Compositional position
- Land-surface temperature - emissivity retrievalvia Terra
ASTER thermal infrared bands and ASTER GED support surface temperature and emissivity retrieval from Terra observations.
- Thermal anomaly detection
ASTER TIR surface-temperature/emissivity data can support thermal outlier analysis, but availability is not an operational building-scale anomaly service.
- [1]ASTER Instrument, JPL ASTERwebagency doc2026-05-25
- [2]ASTER Instrument Characteristics, JPL ASTERwebagency doc2026-05-25
- [3]ASTER SWIR User Advisory, JPL ASTERwebagency doc2026-05-25
- [4]ASTER instrument overview, NASA Earthdataagency doc2026-05-25
- [5]ASTER User Handbook v3, LP DAACagency doc2026-05-25