PLATiNO 2

PLATiNO 2 [SITAEL S.p.A.]

PLATiNO 2 is an experimental Thermal Infrared (TIR) earth observation satellite project by the Italian Space Agency ASI.

PLATiNO-2 mission envisages the development of the second satellite based on PLATiNO platform and embarks a Thermal Infrared (TIR) payload, validating PLATiNO multi-applicability feature. Developed by Leonardo and SITAEL, PLATiNO-2 TIR will acquire images that will be used to provide valuable services for territories control and protection such as monitoring waters, glaciers, pollutants, state of crops and vegetation, energy consumption in urban areas.

PLATiNO-2 is also equipped with the magnetically shielded HT 100, an improved version of SITAEL electric thruster, making PLATiNO-2 one of the first missions in the world to observe the Earth in the Thermal Infrared from a very low orbit – less than 400 km – and thus significantly improving the resolution of the acquired images.

The mission will host NASA's MAIA (Multi-Angle Imager for Aerosols) payload. The investigation will seek to understand how different types of air pollution affect human health. A state-of-the-art satellite instrument producing data that will be used in health studies to examine the health effects of various types of air pollution. MAIA contains a specialized digital camera that peers at how the Sun’s light reflects off of the Earth and its atmosphere. This is no ordinary camera, however. It uses a combination of observing techniques to capture information about a layer of air pollution. MAIA will be able to distinguish types of particulate matter (PM) based on how the particles reflect or absorb sunlight.

The satellite was booked for a shared Vega-C launch in 2024.