PROBA-V
| Company type | Satellite |
|---|---|
| Industry | Earth observation |
| Founded | May 7, 2013 |
| Founder | European Space Agency |
Area served | Global vegetation monitoring |
| Products | Vegetation data products, technology demonstration payloads |
| Owner | European Space Agency |
| Parent | European Space Agency |
| Website | web |
PROBA-V, also known as PROBA-Vegetation (with V denoting vegetation), is a satellite within the European Space Agency's PROBA series. It was launched in 2013 and was initially expected to operate for a duration between 2.5 and 5 years.
Satellite
The PROBA-V satellite is a compact platform designed to maintain the continuity of Vegetation instruments that were formerly deployed on the French SPOT-4 and SPOT-5 Earth observation missions. This project was initiated by the Space and Aeronautics division of the Belgian Science Policy Office. QinetiQ Space N.V. constructed the satellite, which ESA operates using a PROBA platform. The applications supported by PROBA-V include land use monitoring, global vegetation mapping, agricultural surveillance, famine forecasting, food security assessments, disaster observation, and biosphere research.
Initially intended to bridge the gap between the expected retirement of SPOT-5 around mid-2014 and the deployment of Sentinel-3A and -3B satellites, delays in the Sentinel program alongside modifications to their instrument capabilities have altered PROBA-V’s mission to ensure uninterrupted Vegetation program operations. The Vegetation International User Committee (IUC) has advised planning for a successor mission since the current Sentinel-3 specifications do not fully guarantee long-term Vegetation product consistency. PROBA-V stands as the first comprehensive application mission based on a PROBA platform and was developed under a compressed timeline.
Development and operations
QinetiQ Space N.V., together with subcontractors, developed PROBA-V and its instruments for ESA's Directorate of TEChnology (DTEC), financed through contributions from Belgium and Luxembourg. The In Orbit Commissioning Review (IOCR) was finalized on 27 November 2013. Following launch and commissioning phases, management of PROBA-V was transferred from DTEC to ESA's Earth Observation Directorate on 12 December 2013. This directorate now oversees satellite operations, data acquisition, and the distribution of traditional Vegetation products, which are produced and disseminated by VITO. Additionally, the Space and Aeronautics department of the Belgian Science Policy Office manages newer high-resolution products that VITO also generates and distributes.
Onboard instruments
The main payload is the Vegetation instrument developed by OIP Sensor Systems. This streamlined version of the Vegetation instrument previously used on SPOT-4 and SPOT-5 satellites enables daily global monitoring of vegetation. PROBA-V continues a 15-year legacy of traditional Vegetation product time series at an approximate resolution of 1 km by 1 km, despite having enhanced spatial resolution capabilities. Its spectral bands are closely aligned with those of earlier SPOT Vegetation instruments. Essential technical details include:
| PROBA-V Vegetation instrument | Specification |
|---|---|
| Three compact telescopes with wide fields-of-view using 3-mirror astigmatic design | (3x 34.6°) x 5.5° |
| Visual and Near InfraRed (VNIR) sensors | 3x 5200 pixels, pixel size 13 μm |
| Blue spectral band | 447–493 nm |
| Red spectral band | 610–690 nm |
| Near infrared spectral band | 777–893 nm |
| VNIR ground resolution | approximately 1/3 km |
| Short Wave InfraRed (SWIR) sensors | 3x 1024 pixels, butted InGaAs detectors |
| Short wave infrared spectral band | 1570–1650 nm |
| SWIR ground resolution | approximately 2/3 km |
Additional instruments onboard function as technology demonstration payloads:
| Instrument | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Gallium Nitride based X-band power amplifier | Qualification of novel hardware for space applications |
| Energetic particle telescope | Measurement of charged particles’ charge, energy, and incidence angles |
| Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) receiver | Demonstrates reception of aircraft signals from orbit to enhance emergency response in remote locations |
| SATRAM radiation monitoring system | Provides complementary data to the Energetic particle telescope |
Launch
PROBA-V was deployed from ELA-1 at the Guiana Space Centre on 7 May 2013, carried by Vega flight VV02. It shared this mission with the Vietnamese satellite VNREDSat 1A and Estonia’s inaugural satellite, ESTCube-1. This event represented the first operational use of the Vespa dual-payload adapter, with PROBA-V mounted atop and VNREDSat 1A positioned beneath. The satellite’s operational lifespan is influenced by the local time of the descending node (LTDN), which depends on the precision of the launch insertion since PROBA-V does not have onboard propulsion capabilities. VEGA’s injection accuracy estimated a mission duration ranging from 2.5 to 5 years; current data indicates that LTDN drift will exceed design limits after approximately five years.
Data policy
In contrast to earlier SPOT-Vegetation datasets that imposed charges for recent data access, PROBA-V implements a fully open and free data distribution policy, endorsed by ESA’s Programme Board for Earth Observation on 25 September 2013. Conventional vegetation datasets older than one month are available at enhanced resolution without cost. Nevertheless, some tailored or priority delivery high-resolution products may require fees, contingent upon user category (scientific or commercial) and the level of service requested.
Outreach
On 18 March 2019, Bpost released a commemorative sheet featuring five stamps celebrating Belgian contributions to space exploration, including one dedicated exclusively to PROBA-V, underscoring Belgium’s involvement in Earth observation initiatives.