NASA Goddard Selects Surrey Satellite US for Landsat Instrument Research

Surrey Satellite Technology US LLC (SST-US), headquartered in Colorado, has secured a six-month contract from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center to support the Sustainable Land Imaging (SLI) Reduced Instrument Envelope Study. The initiative focuses on evaluating smaller, lighter, and more efficient imaging sensor concepts for use in upcoming Landsat missions, including Landsat 10 and future programs.

The study aligns with NASA’s long-term goal of developing Earth observation satellites — or constellations — that are more economical than Landsat 8 while maintaining the continuity and reliability of the Landsat data record. Currently, Landsat 8 carries two major instruments: the Operational Land Imager (OLI) for reflective imaging and the Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) for thermal measurements.

Exploring New Sensor Architectures

Under the SLI Reduced Envelope Study, SST-US will investigate emerging imaging technologies that could replicate the combined capabilities of OLI and TIRS within a reduced mass, power, and volume envelope. The objective is to identify solutions that meet NASA’s performance standards without the size and complexity of current instruments.

NASA selected six prime contractors for this research effort, and SST-US brings extensive experience in small satellite development to the program. Over the past three decades, the Surrey organization has launched more than 40 satellites, including the five-satellite RapidEye Earth imaging constellation deployed in 2008 at a fraction of traditional mission costs.

Collaborative Sensor Development

For this study, SST-US is partnering with Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL) based in Logan, Utah. Together, the teams will assess the feasibility of combining Surrey’s electro-optical imaging designs with SDL’s proven thermal infrared sensor technology.

The collaboration will explore two possible architectures: a single integrated sensor that performs both reflective and thermal imaging, or a dual-sensor configuration with co-registered instruments flying on the same small satellite platform. Both approaches aim to meet NASA’s reduced size and power requirements while preserving image quality and scientific value.

Maintaining Landsat Data Continuity

To ensure compatibility with existing Landsat datasets, SST-US has included Global Science & Technology Inc. (GST) in the project team. GST scientists will evaluate instrument performance, calibration strategies, and radiometric characteristics to ensure that future data products remain consistent with historical Landsat observations.

This continuity is critical for long-term environmental monitoring, climate research, land-use analysis, and resource management applications that rely on decades of comparable satellite imagery.

Advancing the Economics of Earth Observation

By applying small satellite principles to flagship Earth observation missions, the SLI study reflects NASA’s broader effort to reduce mission costs while expanding capability. SST-US’s contribution builds on Surrey’s longstanding philosophy of “changing the economics of space” through innovative design, rapid development, and efficient mission architectures.

If successful, the concepts explored in this study could play a key role in shaping the next generation of Landsat satellites and extending one of the world’s most important Earth observation programs well into the future.