Earth editorial note
Japanese aerospace and defence manufacturer IHI has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Finnish startup Kuva Space to explore adding hyperspectral satellites to IHI's planned 100-satellite sovereign Earth observation constellation. The deal, announced July 21, opens the door for IHI to build and operate Kuva's next-generation Hyperfield-2 satellites in Japan, including potential local manufacturing.
The Hyperfield-2 is a 70-kilogram microsatellite that extends Kuva's existing sensor technology into short-wave infrared, or SWIR, enabling it to identify materials and substances by their unique spectral fingerprints. A first in-orbit demonstration is planned for 2027. Kuva Space aims to deploy 100 satellites by the end of 2030, which would enable sub-daily monitoring across East Asia. Around 20 Hyperfield-2 satellites could provide daily coverage of roughly 20 million square kilometres across Japan, neighbouring countries, and surrounding ocean areas.
IHI is evaluating hyperspectral data for several specific applications, including dark vessel detection, spotting ships not broadcasting Automatic Identification System signals, and land cover and land use change mapping. The hyperspectral sensors complement IHI's existing constellation partners, which include Iceye for synthetic aperture radar and SatVu for thermal imaging, creating a multi-sensor architecture that can see through clouds, at night, and across the electromagnetic spectrum.
The constellation is designed as a sovereign capability for Japan's national security and dual-use applications. IHI has been evaluating data from Kuva's existing Hyperfield-1 cubesats since November 2025, and earlier deployed a hyperspectral demonstrator built by Kongsberg NanoAvionics in 2025. The partnership reflects a broader trend of governments turning to multi-sensor constellations that combine SAR, optical, thermal, and hyperspectral data for comprehensive environmental and security monitoring.
Original source
SpaceNews
https://spacenews.com/ihi-explores-kuva-hyperspectral-satellites-for-japans-multi-sensor-constellation/
This summary was prepared by the Earth editorial team. Earth is a knowledge commons supported by EARTH PBC — a technology company building monitoring infrastructure for planetary stewardship. We have a commercial interest in earth observation and supply chain transparency, which we disclose here. Our editorial standards require that news items are selected for relevance to the field, not to promote EARTH's commercial interests.