Satellite Missions Catalogue

AEROS MH-1

Last updated:Feb 7, 2025

MIT

Thales Edisoft Portugal

AEROS MH-1 is a Portuguese Earth observation mission launched in March 2024 to monitor oceans with a specific focus on the Atlantic Ocean. The nanosatellite was developed by Thales Edisoft Portugal in partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), with support from a consortium of Portuguese organisations, universities, and research centres.

Quick facts

Overview

Mission type	EO
Agency	MIT, Thales Edisoft Portugal
Launch date	March 2024

Related Resources

Ocean Colour

Overview

The AEROS MH-1 satellite, developed and built in Portugal in collaboration with MIT, is a hyperspectral nanosatellite mission focused on studying ocean environments, particularly the Atlantic Ocean. Led by Thales Edisoft Portugal and CEiiA, the mission brings together a consortium of 12 organisations, including Spin.Works, dstelecom, and several leading Portuguese universities and research centres. The satellite is named MH-1 in honour of Manuel Heitor, former Minister of Science and Higher Education, as a tribute to his significant contributions to Portugal’s space strategy. 1) 4) 5) 9)

AEROS MH-1 serves as a CubeSat pathfinder mission for a planned ocean-monitoring constellation targeting the Portuguese Atlantic Region. This constellation will combine technologies across both new and existing platforms to deliver insights into oceanographic processes. The objective of AEROS MH-1 is to test and validate the technologies and systems required for the full constellation, laying the foundation for its deployment. These include the structural and system integration design of the nanosatellite, the hyperspectral imager (HSI) for monitoring ocean features, and the Software Defined Radio (SDR), designed to collect data from biologging tags and in-situ observation systems. The mission also aims to establish a Data Analysis Centre (DAC) to process the satellite’s payload data, offering accessible data for a range of end users. The launch and operation of the AEROS MH-1 pathfinder, in addition to the mission goals, will promote the advancement of Portuguese scientific and technological knowledge in the Space industry. 13) 14)

The successful operation of AEROS MH-1 will lay the foundation for the development of the future constellation that will comprise ten or more satellites operating at different orbital inclinations. This configuration will achieve a revisit time of less than one hour, enabling high temporal, spectral, and spatial resolution monitoring of the Atlantic Ocean.

Figure 1: The Region of Interest (ROI) of the AEROS constellation consisting of the Portuguese Extended Continental Shelf (Image credit: Payne et al., 2021)

The AEROS mission will address three main use cases: studying essential ocean variables (EOVs) and marine megafauna distribution, supporting fisheries and aquaculture management, and monitoring Marine Protected Areas (MPA). By collecting data on ocean colour, chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentration, and other variables, the AEROS constellation will contribute to understanding the drivers of marine animal movements and their relationship with oceanographic features, aiding conservation efforts for vulnerable species like sharks and rays. For fisheries and aquaculture, the mission will provide insights into water quality, primary production, and environmental conditions, supporting sustainable resource use, fish health monitoring, and predictions of harmful algae blooms (HABs). Additionally, AEROS will offer critical data for MPA management by detecting phenomena such as terrestrial run-off, eutrophication, and coastal upwelling. 13)

Table 1: Variables measured by AEROS 13)
Variable	Application
Ocean Colour / Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a)	Provides insights into the variability of phytoplankton biomass by capturing changes in the concentrations of Chl-a, the pigment that indicates phytoplankton presence
Sea Surface Salinity	Key for understanding ocean currents, climate systems, and freshwater exchanges driven by processes like evaporation, precipitation, and river runoff. Monitoring salinity changes is crucial for predicting extreme events like floods and droughts, which can affect ecosystems, public health, and the global economy. Salinity also influences the ocean’s capacity to absorb carbon dioxide, linking it to climate change mitigation efforts.
Coloured Dissolved Organic Matter (CDOM)	Serves as a useful tracer for salinity, further advancing our understanding of freshwater inputs and their interactions with marine environments.

Spacecraft

AEROS MH-1 is a 3U CubeSat with dimensions of 30 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm, a mass of 4.5 kg, and a battery capacity of 45.6 Wh. 7) 9) 13) 14)

Figure 2: The AEROS MH-1 CubeSat (Image credit: CEiiA and Exolaunch)

The satellite features a miniaturised hyperspectral imager, an RGB imager, and a software defined radio (SDR). The SDR supports network connectivity and operations, as well as the tracking of biological tags attached to marine life. 9)

Figure 3: Diagrams of the AEROS MH-1 spacecraft (left) and the electronics configuration (right) (Image credit: CEiiA)

Launch

AEROS MH-1 was successfully launched on 4 March 2024 from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

Orbit

AEROS MH-1 operates in a Sun-synchronous polar low Earth orbit (LEO) at an altitude of 510 km, completing an orbit around the Earth about every 90 minutes (track the satellite here). AEROS MH-1 operates without propulsion, resulting in a gradual decrease in orbital altitude and a loss of the sun-synchronous alignment over time. However, this orbit will continue to provide sufficient coverage of the region of interest and consistent power generation.1) 3) 5) 7) 14)

Figure 4: Schematic of AEROS MH-1 mission concept developed prior to launch (Image credit: Santos et al., 2022)

Mission Status

August 8, 2024: AEROS MH-1 receives the Mission of the Year award at the 2024 Small Satellites Conference in the United States. 3)
July 2, 2024: The first images captured by AEROS MH-1 are released, taken with its low-resolution RGB camera. 1) 3)

Figure 5: First image of AEROS MH-1 satellite captured over Western Australia with its low-resolution RGB camera (Image credit: Thales Edisoft, CEiiA)

March 19, 2024: Communications between Earth and AEROS MH-1 are successfully established via the Santa Maria Teleport in the Azores, operated by Thales Edisoft Portugal. This marks the completion of the Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP), which involves orbit stabilisation and initial testing of the satellite’s systems. 2)
March 4, 2024: AEROS MH-1 is launched aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base. 5)
November 19, 2020: The AEROS MH-1 project is initiated under the leadership of Thales Edisoft and CEiiA, alongside a consortium of 10 additional entities, with a total investment of 2.78 million euros. 5) 6) 7)

Sensor Complement

Hyperspectral imager (HSI)

The hyperspectral imager (HSI), developed by the Portuguese company Spin.Works, is the primary instrument onboard the AEROS MH-1 satellite.

Table 2: HSI specifications 1) 9) 10) 11) 12) 14)
Parameter	Value
Dimensions	86.3 mm x 66 mm x 55 mm
Mass	0.5 kg
Power	5W (max), 2W (idle), 6-17 VDC
Spectral bands	140 bands from 470 - 900 nm (visible near-infrared (VNIR) region)
Ground sampling distance (GSD)	55 m (at altitude of 500 km)
Maximum exposure time	7.8 milliseconds
Frame rate	25.7 fps
Lens	50 mm f/2.8
Diagonal field of view	18.2°
Operating temperature	−30°C to 60°C

HSI is capable of analysing ocean colour and measuring chlorophyll levels, as well as other EOVs. Deep learning models are employed to derive these EOVs from HSI images using the spectral bands listed in Table 3.

Table 3: AEROS MH-1 target wavelengths for ocean parameter interpretation 13)
Proxy	Wavelength (nm)
Discriminate CDOM	413
Chlorophyll retrieval (blue-green ratio algorithms)	443, 490, 510, 560
Water content retrieval (red-green algorithms)	560, 620, 665, and others
Chlorophyll retrieval (fluorescence peak)	665, 681, 709, and others
Atmospheric correction	779, 870
Ocean colour	475, 495, 545, 555, 625, 865
Sea surface salinity	485, 545, 555, 625, 685, 865
CDOM	655

Software Defined Radio (SDR)

The AEROS MH-1 secondary payload is a Software Defined Radio (SDR), a communication system that replaces traditional hardware with software components. SDR facilitates communication with ground assets, including bio-tagged marine animals, autonomous vehicles, vessels, and buoys using the ARGOS or LoRa platforms. ARGOS is a global network of remote platforms that collect and transmit oceanographic and meteorological data. The SDR receives, demodulates, and retransmits short-duration messages, typically under one second, from various ARGOS sources, transmitted at 400 bps on a frequency of 401.65 MHz ± 30 kHz. These messages are then relayed to ground and processing stations that calculate platform locations using Doppler effect measurements. In addition to ARGOS signals, the SDR can also acquire LoRa data, the physical layer of the LoRaWAN protocol. 13) 14)

Red, Green, Blue (RGB) Camera

The AEROS MH-1 satellite is also equipped with a 5 MP Crystalspace CAM1U CubeSat RGB camera.

Table 4: RBG Camera specifications 1) 2) 13) 16)
Parameter	Value
Dimensions	42 mm x 25 mm x 45 mm
Mass	< 50 g
Focal length	4.4 mm
Field of view	44.3° horizontal, 34° vertical
Ground resolution	< 600 m
Operating temperature	−30°C to 70°C

The primary function of the RGB camera is orientation and positioning, enhancing the geolocation accuracy of HSI data beyond what spacecraft attitude estimation alone can achieve. By capturing visible light imagery, it identifies ground features with known locations, aiding in attitude calibration and providing visual data on geological features.

Figure 6: Schematic diagram of the AEROS MH-1 payload (Image credit: CEiiA)

The RGB camera, HSI, and SDR work together to provide near real-time oceanographic data. Animal-borne tags linked to ARGOS and LoRaWAN systems are synchronised with the AEROS MH-1 SDR, which, upon receiving transmissions from the tagged animals, prompts the HSI to capture an image. This data is then geolocated using images from the RGB camera, allowing access to detailed information on oceanographic variables within regions selected based on species of interest. This integration allows AEROS MH-1 to provide simultaneous marine animal location and environmental data, supporting scientific research into the factors influencing animal behaviour and improving oceanographic forecasting.

Ground Segment

The data from AEROS MH-1 is downlinked to the Santa Maria Island Teleport, located in the Azores and managed by Thales Edisoft Portugal. This facility serves as the primary communication hub, handling both command and control operations. Once received, the data is transmitted to CEiiA in Matosinhos for processing. The satellite communicates with Earth using an S-Band ground link, with a downlink speed of 512 kilobits per second and an uplink speed of 256 kilobits per second. 1) 4) 7) 8) 13)

Figure 7: Illustration of data collection and processing of AEROS MH-1 (Image credit: CEiiA)

References

Portugal Space, “Aeros MH-1: See the first images captured by the Portuguese satellite,” Portuguese Space Agency, 2 July 2024, URL: https://ptspace.pt/aeros-mh-1-see-the-first-images-captured-by-the-portuguese-satellite/
CEiiA ,”First Images of MH-1,” 2 July 2024, URL: https://www.ceiia.com/news/first-images-of-mh-1
COMPETE 2030, “Portuguese Aeros MH-1 nanosatellite wins international award,” 27 September 2024, URL: https://www.compete2030.gov.pt/en/comunicacao-en/nanossatelite-portugues-aeros-mh-1-ganha-premio-internacional-2/
Thales, “Thales Edisoft Portugal Announces Launch of AEROS Nanosatellite, the Nation's Return to Space,” 8 March 2024, URL: https://www.thalesgroup.com/en/countries-europe/portugal/news/thales-edisoft-portugal-announces-launch-aeros-nanosatellite-nations
IN+, “AEROS MH-1, the first satellite totally developed in Portugal was sent to space,” 5 March 2024, URL: https://in3.dem.ist.utl.pt/news/aeros-mh-1-the-first-satellite-totally-developed-in-portugal-was-sent-to-space/
MIT Portugal, “AEROS Constellation,” URL: https://mitportugal.org/research/flagship-projects/aeros-constellation
Portugal Space, “AEROS will be Portugal’s second satellite in space,” 4 March 2024, URL: https://ptspace.pt/aeros-will-be-portugals-second-satellite-in-space/
MIT News, “AEROS CubeSat launches to study ocean health,” 20 May 2024, URL: https://news.mit.edu/2024/aeros-cubesat-launches-study-ocean-health-0520
COMPETE 2030, “AEROS Constellation: Sinergias entre espaço e oceano,” 20 May 2024, URL: https://www.compete2030.gov.pt/comunicacao/aeros-constellation-sinergias-entre-espaco-e-oceano/
Spinworks, “First Spin.Works Hyperspectral Camera Launches into Orbit!,” 25 March 2024, URL: https://spinworks.pt/first-spin-works-hyperspectral-camera-launches-into-orbit/
Spinworks, “Spin.Works Hyperspectral Imager HS1,” URL: https://spinworks.pt/products/products-hs1/
Spinworks, “AEROS Constellation - Hyperspectral Camera,” URL: https://spinworks.pt/projects/aeros-constellation-hyperspectral-camera/
Santos R. et al., “The AEROS ocean observation mission and its CubeSat pathfinder,” The 4S Symposium 2022, 2022, URL: https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2211.05008
Prendergast S. et al., “AEROS: Oceanographic Hyperspectral Imaging and Argos-Tracking CubeSat,” International Astronautical Federation, 2022, URL: https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2211.05124
Payne et al., “The AEROS mission: multi-spectral ocean science measurement network via small satellite connectivity,” American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2021, URL: https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/146580
Crystalspace, “Crystalspace CAM1U CubeSat Camera CS-101,” URL: https://crystalspace.eu/products/crystalspace-c1u-cubesat-camera/

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