Earth Observation Systems and Technologies

3 credits · Undergraduate

This course introduces engineering students to the technologies, architectures, and design tradeoffs behind modern space-based Earth observation systems. Topics include the history of Earth observation from early space missions to modern commercial constellations; fundamentals of remote sensing physics; optical, multispectral, hyperspectral, thermal infrared, synthetic aperture radar, radio-frequency, and related sensing modalities; spacecraft payloads and instrument design; orbit selection and constellation architecture; pointing, stability, and platform constraints; onboard processing; communications and downlink; ground segment and data pipelines; and multi-sensor Earth intelligence systems.