The first satellite of the Canary Islands Institute of Astrophysics (IAC) was launched on December 1, 2023 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. After two months, we can already see its first images. The satellite carries an infrared camera called Drago-2, which shows the quality of the observations made. One of the most surprising developments of Alicio-1 (advanced land-imaging satellite for infrared observations) was the test pointing to its laser optical communications module, the first Spanish satellite to have this technology.
ALISIO-1 is a satellite that helps develop prevention and action plans against natural disasters. It allows us to monitor fires and volcanoes, desertification and crops, and the evolution of floods and fuel spills in the oceans.
Inside it are two sophisticated instruments. On the one hand, DRAGO-2, the There is a very compact infrared space camera, due to its weight, size and energy consumption. A camera developed entirely at IACTEC-Espacio. On the other hand, ALISIO-1 is the first Spanish satellite to have an optical communications module using a laser. One that allows high-speed data transmission from space to Earth.
Telescopes complement terrestrial observations
The first images processed by the IACTEC-Espacio team Chihuahua region in Mexico. Among them, in false color, we can see some growing areas and their different moisture levels. The quality and resolution of the images is easily noticed when compared to earlier images taken by SENTINEL-2, a collection of several large, sophisticated satellites built by the European Space Agency (ESA).
Rafael Rebolo, Director of the IAC, promises, “After these first decades of the IAC, our vision is directed towards the next phase as an international astrophysics center with two of the best ground-based observatories in the world. The ALISIO-1 satellite, Rebolo highlights, will complement our capabilities from space telescopes to ground-based observatories. It proves that technically we can do it and that we are competitive with lower costs and higher quality results than other competitors.”
Other processed images Corresponds to the islands of La Palma and El Hierro. In them you can clearly see how the islands' extensive vegetation benefits from different levels of humidity, depending on many factors, such as the terrain's own orography and its orientation to the trade winds.
This first Canarian satellite is publishing the first truly surprising results two and a half months after launch. The breakthrough is that information is transmitted between space and Earth via a laser beam, allowing more information to be sent and released than traditional methods.
