PROBA-V: A Multi-Spectral Earth Observation Mission based on a PROBA Platform
Vrancken, Davy¹; Gerrits, Dennis¹; Mellab, Karim²; Santandrea, Stefano^2
1QinetiQ Space, BELGIUM; ²ESA, NETHERLANDS

PROBA-V is an end-to-end Earth observation mission, based on a PROBA small satellite platform. The mission has been introduced to guarantee the continuity of Vegetation data after decommissioning of SPOT-5. The PROBA-V satellite bus is based on PROBA-2 and has been expanded with an X-band transmitter and a flash-based mass memory. The 160 kg satellite is equipped with a state-of-the-art 4-band multi-spectral imager. With a swath width of 2250 km, the satellite is able to image the whole Earth in 2 days with a resolution ranging from 100 m in nadir to 300 m at the edge of the swath. The high level of autonomy, embedded in the on-board software and the ground segment, allow for a user-friendly and low cost operation of the mission. The mission is designed for an operational life of 2.5 years, with a possible extension to 5 years. The satellite is launched on the first VERTA flight of VEGA in April 2013. This paper presents the system design of the satellite, including the Vegetation Instrument, and overview of the development phase, and an overview of the first in-flight results of the mission.