Multi-phenomenology Sensing with Fused Color, Hyperspectral, and Thermal Imaging for Real-time ISR

Matter Intelligence, Inc. proposes an advanced airborne demonstration of its multi-phenomenology, space-optimized sensor payload—EARTH (Emissions and Reflectance Through Hyperspectral)—adapted for flight testing as EARTH-a to validate its integrated ISR and edge processing capabilities in an operationally relevant environment. This Direct to Phase II SBIR effort by the Department of the Air Force (DAF) aims to derisk and operationalize the fused imaging sensor that combines high-resolution panchromatic (PAN), hyperspectral (HSI), and thermal infrared (TIR) imaging with real-time onboard machine learning analytics for Tactical Surveillance, Reconnaissance, and Tracking (Tac SRT) and Space-Based Environmental Monitoring (SBEM) missions, in line with USAF and USSF Commercial Space Strategy priorities. EARTH-a delivers full-spectrum analytics, fusing 2000+ UV-to-TIR spectral bands with NIIRS-6+ PAN context, offering enhanced capability to detect, localize, classify, and monitor objects of interest—including camouflaged, decoyed, and temperature-variable targets. The sensor collects ultra-high information density with spectral resolution <3 nm FWHM, <50 cm spatial resolution (airborne), and <100 mK thermal sensitivity, providing foundational inputs for mission-critical analytics such as automatic target recognition (ATR), change detection, and material identification. EARTH’s data products include georeferenced RGB and HSI imagery, thermal heatmaps, and LiDAR-like surface elevation models, all processed in real time onboard via a high-throughput Nvidia AGX Orin processor. The airborne demonstration will validate this integrated system prior to deployment on Matter’s EARTH-1 satellite (launching 2026) and operational constellation, delivering persistent 4x daily global revisit coverage. This first-of-its-kind sensor constellation directly supports two OUSD(R&E) Critical Technology areas: integrated sensing and trusted AI/autonomy. The D2P2 SBIR accelerates the readiness of these capabilities for DoD deployment by maturing the space sensor’s TRL, validating real-world mission utility, and reducing post-launch calibration time. It also ensures alignment with USSPACECOM’s top S&T priorities, including advanced EO sensing and on-orbit intelligence. Through its unique combination of sub-meter imaging, wideband spectral coverage, and embedded onboard intelligence, the EARTH-a testbed will establish a clear path to operationalizing next-gen ISR with immediate military relevance and robust dual-use applicability across defense and commercial domains.