Scientific Requirements for a New EO Mission in the MWIR-LWIR Spectral Range

Recently, the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) have agreed to carry out a joint study for an Earth Observation scientific mission in the infrared spectral range (MWIR-LWIR). A mission of this type is considered of high priority by the NASA's “Decadal Survey” plan, as well as being one of the priorities of the future Sentinel of the Copernicus program. Furthermore, an MWIR-LWIR system with spatial resolutions better than 90 m (target 50 m) could represent a formidable integration of the observational capacity of the ASI PRISMA and SHALOM missions, as it would allow observing the entire wavelength range from Visible to thermal IR and consequently expanding the spectrum of scientific applications of the national satellite system. INGV in 2018–2019 in the frame of ASI contract has carried out a review of scientific and technical requirements for a new EO “Thermal Mission” which my support a large number of applications.