The document details the capabilities and specifications of the Landsat 7 and Landsat 8 satellites, including their instruments, resolutions, and operational characteristics. Landsat 7, launched in 1999, uses the ETM+ sensor with various spectral bands for diverse applications, while Landsat 8, launched in 2013, features the OLI and TIRS instruments for enhanced imaging capabilities. Additionally, it discusses the MODIS system and the Sentinel-2 mission, outlining their respective functions, satellite specifications, and applications for environmental monitoring.

1. ASSIGNMENT
Advanced Remote Sensing & GIS
Submitted by Md. Asif Hasan
Date: August 1, 2019
Course No: GMT 503

2. LANDSAT 7
Involving three large American governmental organizations: NASA, NOAA and USGS launched
on April 15, 1999. Landsat 7 is equipped with ETM+ (Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus), which
provides a ground survey in four modes: VNIR (Visible and Near Infrared), SWIR (Shortwave
Infrared), PAN (Panchromatic - Panchromatic range), TIR (Thermal infrared - Thermal infrared
range).
The Landsat 7 ETM+ instrument is designed with the significant exception of the thermal infrared
band, where the ground resolution has been improved from 120 to 60 m.
The ETM instrument incorporates a new 15 m panchromatic band, as well as a 9-bit analog to
digital converter. The panchromatic band was added to provide higher spatial landsat 7 resolution
observations, as a compliment to the 30 m multispectral measurements. In order to limit the
telemetered data stream to a reasonable volume, a 9-bit A-to-D system was designed so that either
the upper or lower 8 bits of the radiometry could be provided from the system. This introduces the
potential for two gain states (high and low), which, particularly for dark landscapes, could increase
the radiometric signal.
At an altitude of 705 km, a full surface scan by Landsat 7 takes 232 turns, or 16 days. The terrain
survey takes place at approximately 10 am (± 15 minutes) according to local solar time.
Characteristics-
Launch Date: April 15, 1999
Vehicle: Delta II
Site: Western Test Range at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California
Spacecraft
 Power provided by a single Sun-tracking solar array and two 50 Ampere-Hour (AHr), Nickel
Cadmium (NiCd) batteries
 Attitude control provided through four reaction wheels (pitch, yaw, roll, and skew); three 2-channel
gyros with celestial drift updating; a static Earth sensor; a 1750 processor; and torque rods and
magnetometers for momentum uploading
 Orbit control and backup momentum unloading provided through a blow-down monopropellant
hydrazine system with a single tank containing 270 pounds of hydrazine, associated plumbing, and
twelve 1-pound-thrust jets
 Weight: approx. 4,800 lbs (2,200 kg)
 Length: 4.3 m (14 ft)
 Diameter: 2.8 m (9 ft)
Communications
 Direct Downlink with Solid State Recorders (SSR)
 Data rate: 150 Mbps

3. Orbit
 Worldwide Reference System-2 (WRS-2) path/row system
 Sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 705 km (438 mi)
 233 orbit cycle; covers the entire globe every 16 days (except for the highest polar latitudes)
 Inclined 98.2° (slightly retrograde)
 Circles the Earth every 98.9 minutes
 Equatorial crossing time: 10:00 a.m. +/- 15 minutes
Sensors:
 ETM+ : The Landsat 7 ETM+ instrument is designed with the significant exception of the
thermal infrared band, where the ground resolution has been improved from 120 to 60 m.
Scene size: 170 km x 185 km (106 mi x 115 mi)
LANDSAT 7 BANDS
Sensor
Band
number
Band name
Wavelength
(μm)
Resolution
(m)
Band Applications
ETM+ 1 Blue 0.45-0.52 30
Bathymetric mapping,
distinguishing soil from
vegetation, and deciduous from
coniferous vegetation
ETM+ 2 Green 0.52-0.60 30
Emphasizes peak vegetation,
which is useful for assessing
plant vigor
ETM+ 3 Red 0.63-0.69 30 Discriminates vegetation slopes
ETM+ 4 NIR 0.77-0.90 30
Emphasizes biomass content and
shorelines
ETM+ 5 SWIR 1 1.55-1.75 30
Discriminates moisture content
of soil and vegetation; penetrates
thin clouds

4. Sensor
Band
number
Band name
Wavelength
(μm)
Resolution
(m)
Band Applications
ETM+ 6 Thermal 10.40-12.50 60*(30)
Thermal mapping and estimated
soil moisture
ETM+ 7 SWIR 2 2.09-2.35 30
Hydrothermally altered rocks
associated with mineral deposits
ETM+ 8 Panchromatic 0.52-0.90 15
15 meter resolution, sharper
image definition
LANDSAT 8
On February 11, 2013, the Atlas-V vehicle carrying the LDCM satellite (Landsat Data Continuity
Mission) was launched from USS Vandenberg. The spacecraft was designed to continue the
program of global space imagery acquisition that the United States has been implementing since
1972 with the help of the Landsat series.
The remote sensing equipment installed on LCDM includes a multichannel scanning radiometer
OLI (Operational Land Imager) and a two-channel - IR radiometer TIRS (Thermal Infrared
Sensor). The OLI instrument, developed by Ball Aerospace & Technologies, operates at nine
wavelengths in the range of 0.433-2.300 μm and provides images with a maximum resolution of
15 m using advanced space imagery technologies. For their development, the experimental EO-1
satellite (launched in 2000 and equipped with the Advanced Land Imager radiometer, a prototype
of the OLI radiometer) was used.
The payload of the satellite utilises a new design comprised of fewer moving elements, which will
increase its reliability and service life by at least 5 years. The mapping accuracy of the resulting
images is 12 m and above. Thanks to OLI, for the first time in Landsat series satellites, it is possible
to make observations via two new wavelength ranges, which are crucial for studying cirrus clouds
and the quality of lake and coastal waters.

5. The spatial landsat 8 resolution of the images obtained with the TIRS instrument is 100 m. Its main
purpose is to obtain surface temperature characteristics, and to study the process of heat and
moisture transfer in the interests of the agricultural sector, water management, etc.
In contrast to the equipment installed on previous Landsat satellites, TIRS provides the ability to
conduct observations in not just one, but two infrared wavelength landsat 8 band combinations.
Both instruments shoot in scanning mode along the path of the spacecraft, which reduces the level
of radiometric distortion in comparison with the transverse scanning instruments used on previous
Landsat satellites.
Characteristics-
Launch Date: February 11, 2013
Vehicle: Atlas-V rocket
Site: Vandenberg Air Force Base, California
Spacecraft
 3.14 terabit solid-state data recorder
 Power provided by a single 9 x 0.4 meter solar array and one 125 Ampere-Hour (AHr), Nickel-
Hydrogen (NiH2) battery
 Weight: 2,071 kg (4,566 lbs) fully loaded with fuel (without instruments)
 Length: 3 m (9.8 ft)
 Diameter: 2.4 m (7.9 ft)
Orbit
 Worldwide Reference System-2 (WRS-2) path/row system
 Sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 705 km (438 mi)
 233 orbit cycle; covers the entire globe every 16 days (except for the highest polar latitudes)
 Inclined 98.2° (slightly retrograde)
 Circles the Earth every 98.9 minutes
 Equatorial crossing time: 10:00 a.m. +/- 15 minutes
Sensors
 Operational Land Imager (OLI) generates 9 spectral bands (Band 1 to 9) and is onboard Landsat-
8. OLI images can discriminates vegetation types, cultural features, biomass and vigor, etc.
 Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) consists of 2 thermal bands with a spatial resolution of 100
meters. TIRS measures Earth’s thermal energy particularly useful for tracking how land and water
are being used.
Scene size: 170 km x 185 km (106 mi x 115 mi)

6. LANDSAT 8 BANDS
Sensor
Band
number
Band name
Wavelength
(μm)
Resolution
(m)
Band Applications
OLI 1 Coastal 0.43 - 0.45 30 Coastal and aerosol studies
OLI 2 Blue 0.45 - 0.51 30
Bathymetric mapping,
distinguishing soil from
vegetation, and deciduous from
coniferous vegetation
OLI 3 Green 0.53 - 0.59 30
Emphasizes peak vegetation,
which is useful for assessing
plant vigor
OLI 4 Red 0.63 - 0.67 30 Discriminates vegetation slopes
OLI 5 NIR 0.85 - 0.88 30
Emphasizes biomass content and
shorelines
OLI 6 SWIR 1 1.57 - 1.65 30
Discriminates moisture content
of soil and vegetation; penetrates
thin clouds
OLI 7 SWIR 2 2.11 - 2.29 30
Improved moisture content of
soil and vegetation and thin
cloud penetration
OLI 8 Pan 0.50 - 0.68 15
15 meter resolution, sharper
image definition

7. Sensor
Band
number
Band name
Wavelength
(μm)
Resolution
(m)
Band Applications
OLI 9 Cirrus 1.36 - 1.38 30
Improved detection of cirrus
cloud contamination
TIRS 10 TIRS 1 10.60 - 11.19 30 (100)
100 meter resolution, thermal
mapping and estimated soil
moisture
TIRS 11 TIRS 2 11.50 - 12.51 30 (100)
100 meter resolution, thermal
mapping and estimated soil
moisture
MODIS MCD43A4
The purpose of the MODIS (Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) system is to collect
data for calibrated global interactive Earth models as a single system. These models predict global
changes with sufficient accuracy to inform decisions concerning environmental protection. Both
Terra- and Aqua-MODIS instruments view the entire surface of the Earth every 1 to 2 days,
acquiring data across 36 spectral MODIS bands from 0.4s to 14.4 μm. The MODIS satellite survey
materials have a wide range of applications for the study of the atmosphere, land, and ocean.
The main atmospheric research areas that benefit from MODIS are cloud cover, aerosols, and
water vapor; all important climate-forming factors. Central to MODIS research is the study of the
ozone layer. Channel 30 (9.580-9.880 μm) operates in the area of ozone absorption and is
specifically designed for studying the total thickness of the ozone layer in the troposphere and
stratosphere. Both day and night survey data are used in the calculation of this value. The resulting
images have a resolution of 5 km and are used not only to study the dynamics of the ozone layer,
but also for atmospheric correction of other MODIS images, and the study of jet streams in the
atmosphere.
Water vapor, one of the main greenhouse gases, is easily detected by the MODIS system, which
measures gas concentrations in the air column under the satellite by the transparency of the
atmosphere in the absorption zone of water vapor. The water vapor content is obtained from
daytime imaging data in the near infrared range with a resolution of 1 km, as well as data from day

8. and night photography in the zones of the thermal range with a resolution of 5 km. These
measurements are used to study the global water cycle, the interaction between aerosols and
clouds, the energy balance and the Earth's climate.
MCD43A4 provides the 500 meter reflectance data of the MODIS “land” bands 1-7 adjusted using
the bidirectional reflectance distribution function to model the values as if they were collected
from a nadir view.
Characteristic:-
Coordinate System: Sinusoidal
Geographic Dimensions: ~1200 km x 1200 km
Number of Science Dataset (SDS) Layers: 14
Columns/Rows: 2400 x 2400
Pixel Size: ~500
 5
MODIS BANDS
Band Wavelength (nm) Resolution (m) Primary Use
1 620–670 250
Land/Cloud/Aerosols Boundaries
2 841–876 250
3 459–479 500
Land/Cloud/Aerosols Properties
4 545–565 500
5 1230–1250 500
6 1628–1652 500
7 2105–2155 500
8 405–420 1000

9. Band Wavelength (nm) Resolution (m) Primary Use
9 438–448 500
Ocean Color/ Phytoplankton/
Biogeochemistry
10 483–493 1000
11 526–536 1000
12 546–556 1000
13 662–672 1000
14 673–683 1000
15 743–753 1000
16 862–877 1000
17 890–920 1000
Atmospheric
Water Vapor
18 931–941 1000
19 915–965 1000
20 3.660–3.840 1000
Surface/Cloud
Temperature
21 3.929–3.989 1000

10. Band Wavelength (nm) Resolution (m) Primary Use
22 3.929–3.989 1000
23 4.020–4.080 1000
24 4.433–4.498 1000
Atmospheric
Temperature
25 4.482–4.549 1000
26 1.360–1.390 1000
Cirrus Clouds
Water Vapor
27 6.535–6.895 1000
28 7.175–7.475 1000
29 8.400–8.700 1000 Cloud Properties
30 9.580–9.880 1000 Ozone
31 10.780–11.280 1000
Surface/Cloud
Temperature
32 11.770–12.270 1000
33 13.185–13.485 1000 Cloud Top
Altitude

11. SENTINEL-2
SENTINEL-2, launched as part of the European Commission's Copernicus program on June 23,
2015, was designed specifically to deliver a wealth of data and imagery. The satellite is equipped
with an opto-electronic multispectral sensor for surveying with a sentinel-2 resolution of 10 to 60
m in the visible, near infrared (VNIR), and short-wave infrared (SWIR) spectral zones, including
13 spectral channels, which ensures the capture of differences in vegetation state, including
temporal changes, and also minimizes impact on the quality of atmospheric photography.
The orbit is an average height of 785 km and the presence of two satellites in the mission allow
repeated surveys every 5 days at the equator and every 2-3 days at middle latitudes.
The Sentinel-2 data provides GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) program,
jointly implemented by the EC (European Commission) and ESA (European Space Agency)
services related, for example, to land management, agricultural production and forestry, and
monitoring of natural disasters and humanitarian operations.
Characteristics:-
Launch Date: June 23, 2015
Vehicle: Vega
Spacecraft
 Each of the SENTINEL-2 satellites weighs approximately 1.2 tonnes, and is designed to be
compatible with small launchers like VEGA and ROCKOT.
 Lifespan is 7.25 years, which includes a 3 month in-orbit commissioning phase. Batteries and
propellants have been provided to accommodate 12 years of operations.
 Two identical SENTINEL-2 satellites operate simultaneously, phased at 180° to each other, in a
sun-synchronous orbit at a mean altitude of 786 km.
 The optical design of the MSI telescope allows for a 290 km Field Of View (FOV).
Communications
 For Level-1C and Level-2A, the granules, also called tiles, are 100x100 km2 ortho-images
in UTM/WGS84 projection.
 The UTM system divides the Earth's surface into 60 zones.
 Each UTM zone has a vertical width of 6° of longitude and horizontal width of 8° of
latitude.
Orbit: Twin polar-orbiting satellites in the same orbit, phased at 180° to each other The coverage limits are
from between latitudes 56° south and 84° north. 10 days at the equator with one satellite, and 5 days with
2 satellites under cloud-free conditions which results in 2-3 days at mid-latitudes
Sensors: Multi Spectral Instrument (MSI)

12. SENTINEL-2 BANDS
Sensor
Band
number
Band
name
Sentinel-2A Sentinel-2B
Resolution
(meters)
Central
wavelength
(nm)
Bandwidth
(nm)
Central
wavelength
(nm)
Bandwidth
(nm)
MSI 1
Coastal
aerosol
443.9 27 442.3 45 60
MSI 2 Blue 496.6 98 492.1 98 10
MSI 3 Green 560.0 45 559 46 10
MSI 4 Red 664.5 38 665 39 10
MSI 5
Vegetation
Red Edge
703.9 19 703.8 20 20
MSI 6
Vegetation
Red Edge
740.2 18 739.1 18 20
MSI 7
Vegetation
Red Edge
782.5 28 779.7 28 20
MSI 8 NIR 835.1 145 833 45 10
MSI 8a
Narrow
NIR
864.8 33 864 32 20

13. Sensor
Band
number
Band
name
Sentinel-2A Sentinel-2B
Resolution
(meters)
Central
wavelength
(nm)
Bandwidth
(nm)
Central
wavelength
(nm)
Bandwidth
(nm)
MSI 9
Water
vapour
945.0 26 943.2 27 60
MSI 10
SWIR –
Cirrus
1373.5 75 1376.9 76 60
MSI 11 SWIR 1613.7 143 1610.4 141 20
MSI 12 SWIR 2202.4 242 2185.7 238 20
ASTER
 ASTER satellite sensor is one of the five state-of-the-art instrument sensor systems on-board Terra a
satellite launched on December 18, 1999 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.
 Is a 15 meter, 14 band multispectral resolution instrument. It can be used for change detection,
calibration, validation, and land surface studies.
 High-resolution satellite capable of producing stereo imagery for creating detailed digital terrain models
(DTMs).
Sensor Specifications
Launch Date 18 December 1999 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, USA
Equator Crossing 10:30 AM (north to south)
Orbit 705 km altitude, sun synchronous

14. Orbit Inclination 98.3 degrees from the equator
Orbit Period 98.88 minutes
Grounding Track Repeat Cycle 16 days
Resolution 15 to 90 meters
The ASTER instrument consists of three separate instrument subsystems:
 VNIR (Visible Near Infrared), a backward looking telescope which is only used to acquire a stereo
pair image
 SWIR (ShortWave Infrared), a single fixed aspheric refracting telescope
 TIR(Thermal Infrared)
ASTER has 14 bands of information. For more information, please see the following table:
Instrument VNIR SWIR TIR
Bands 1-3 4-9 10-14
Spatial Resolution 15m 30m 90m
Swath Width 60km 60km 60km
Cross Track Pointing ± 318km (± 24 deg) ± 116km (± 8.55 deg) ± 116km (± 8.55 deg)
Quantisation (bits) 8 8 12