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Sciences and Exploration Directorate
Operational

Surface Biology and Geology (SBG)

Surface Biology and Geology (SBG) is a Directed Observable mission from the 2017 Decadal Survey. A wide swath visible-to-shortwave infrared imaging spectrometer and a wide-swath thermal imager will provide mow-the-lawn global coverage of Earth’s terrestrial, coastal and open ocean surfaces as well as atmospheric conditions. SBG addresses decadal survey science and applications focal areas including snow, coastal ecosystems, vegetation health, volcanic activity, and mineralogy. Launch readiness date is approximately late 2020s.

Launch Date
2028
Class
Flight Project
Website
Key Staffs

Surface Biology and Geology (SBG) is a Directed Observable mission from the 2017 Decadal Survey. A wide swath visible-to-shortwave infrared imaging spectrometer and a wide-swath thermal imager will provide mow-the-lawn global coverage of Earth’s terrestrial, coastal and open ocean surfaces as well as atmospheric conditions. SBG addresses decadal survey science and applications focal areas including snow, coastal ecosystems, vegetation health, volcanic activity, and mineralogy. Launch readiness date is approximately late 2020s.

Related Publications

2026. "AVUELO – Imaging Spectroscopy Flight Campaign to Advance Tropical Ecology.", World Biodiversity Forum 2026, [10.5194/wbf2026-1028] [Proceedings]

2024. "Towards a standardized, ground-based network of hyperspectral measurements: Combining time series from autonomous field spectrometers with Sentinel-2.", Remote Sensing of Environment, 303 114013 [10.1016/j.rse.2024.114013] [Journal Article/Letter]

2025. "Needle‐ and Canopy‐Level Genetic Variation in Scots Pine ( Pinus sylvestris L.) Revealed by Hyperspectral Phenotyping Across Sites and Seasons.", Evolutionary Applications, 18 (11): e70176 [10.1111/eva.70176] [Journal Article/Letter]

2025. "Mind the leaf anatomy while taking ground truth with portable chlorophyll meters.", Scientific Reports, 15 (1): 1855 [10.1038/s41598-024-84052-5] [Journal Article/Letter]

2025. "Predicting drought vulnerability with leaf reflectance spectra in Amazonian trees.", Remote Sensing of Environment , 318 114562 [Journal Article/Letter]