NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is officially bringing AVIRIS-3 to Australia
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is officially bringing their next-generation hyperspectral sensor, AVIRIS-3, to Australia for a 6-week joint airborne campaign starting in October 2026. University of New England is leading this with CSIRO and TERN.
This is an opportunity for EOA members to get NASA grade hyperspectral data over a specified study area.
NASA will provide the instrument, the operations team, and deliver all processed radiance/reflectance data openly.
In return, the Australian EO community will coordinate mission, capture Australia’s TERN sites, and in-situ ground truthing.
Why AVIRIS-3? It is a cryogenic imaging spectrometer (380–2500 nm / 7.4nm spectral sampling) capable of spatial resolutions from 0.5m to 13m. It’s a game-changer for mapping inland and coastal water quality, ecosystem/vegetation health, bushfire fuels, and critical surface geology.
The organisers are currently compiling the target flight lines and need to map out Australian expertise and priority sites.
Want to be included? To get your research site included in the flight planning, we need the following ASAP:
Read the attached JPL slide deck for the full campaign details and capabilities
Complete the attached Expression of Interest form.
Create a .KML file clearly defining your proposed target site boundary.
What does it cost? Is it free? There is a nominal cost of flight per day, and if data is a priority for your team’s research, there is an option to pay for priority. If you/your team cannot afford to assist financially, you can complete an EOI for free and the organising team will do their best.
Please send your completed EOI document and your KML file to Bradley Evans, EOA Vice President, as soon as possible so the organisers can consolidate the flight plans and ensure requested sites are represented.
Please reach out to Bradley if you have any questions or want to bounce some ideas around before submitting.
