Sensor · Spaceborne

HyperScout H

HyperScout H is cosine's compact deep-space hyperspectral imager for ESA's Hera mission, covering 650-950 nm across 25 narrow bands with verified specifications from peer-reviewed characterisation.

Sensor

HyperScout H is a compact hyperspectral imager developed by cosine Remote Sensing, flying on ESA's Hera planetary-defence mission. The instrument covers 650-950 nm across 25 narrow spectral bands, arranged as a 5x5 mosaic of interference filters on a 2048x1088 subpixel CMOS detector (5.5 um pixel pitch, 12-bit ADC). Band FWHM ranges from 8 to 22 nm. At 1 km slant range, the ground sample distance is 0.66 m per macropixel; field of view is 15.9 deg cross-track by 9.9 deg along-track. Instrument mass is 5.145 kg. The design derives from cosine's HyperScout family of airborne and small-satellite EO instruments, adapted for the deep-space thermal and radiation environment. Hera launched in October 2024, completed a Mars flyby in March 2025, and is scheduled to rendezvous with the Didymos binary asteroid system in November 2026, where HyperScout H will characterise the surface composition of Dimorphos following the DART impact.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Operator pricing

Pricing not publicly listed by operator

Supply chain position

carried by Hera

Methods this sensor implements

Demonstrated

None on record.

Capable, undemonstrated

Imaging spectroscopy retrieval
HyperScout-H 25-band 650-950nm pixelated filter CMOS imager; capable of hyperspectral classification of mineral surfaces
Spectral unmixing
HyperScout-H 25-band pixelated filter array enables per-pixel spectral unmixing for mixed surface composition retrieval
Spectral-library matching
HyperScout-H spectral library matching for asteroid mineralogy; identifies olivine and pyroxene absorption features 650-950nm

Topics this relates to

Biodiversity and habitat Imaging spectroscopy retrieval(capable)well suited

Crop-type mapping Imaging spectroscopy retrieval(capable)well suited

Geology and geohazards Imaging spectroscopy retrieval(capable)well suited

Mineral exploration Imaging spectroscopy retrieval(capable)well suited

Pest and disease detection Imaging spectroscopy retrieval(capable)well suited

Coastal water quality Imaging spectroscopy retrieval(capable)adequate

Drought Imaging spectroscopy retrieval(capable)adequate

Forest structure and biomass Imaging spectroscopy retrieval(capable)adequate

Land cover change Imaging spectroscopy retrieval(capable)adequate

Coastal erosion Imaging spectroscopy retrieval(capable)marginal

Harmful algal blooms Imaging spectroscopy retrieval(capable)marginal

Illegal construction Imaging spectroscopy retrieval(capable)marginal

Solar energy siting and monitoring Imaging spectroscopy retrieval(capable)marginal

Sources

[1]HyperScout-H: the hyperspectral imager for the ESA Hera mission (Space Science Reviews 2025)peer reviewed2026-06-11
[2]Hera Frequently Asked Questions, ESAoperator marketing2026-06-11
[3]HyperScout product family, cosine Remote Sensingoperator marketing2026-06-11

Cite https://eo-atlas.org/products/sensor/hyperscout-h Markdown twin → Field definitions → Suggest a correction →

How to cite this page

Plain text

HyperScout H. EO-Atlas, SpectraWorks B.V. https://eo-atlas.org/products/sensor/hyperscout-h (CC BY 4.0)

BibTeX

@misc{eoatlas:products:sensor:hyperscout-h,
  title = {HyperScout H},
  author = {{EO-Atlas}},
  publisher = {SpectraWorks B.V.},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
  url = {https://eo-atlas.org/products/sensor/hyperscout-h}
}