Hibidis (Hyperspectral Biodiversity Mission) is a future Earth observation satellite for monitoring Essential Biodiversity Variables under development by the European Space Agency's FutureEO programme.[1][2][3] The satellite will study understorey ecosystem biodiversity by observing Earth's surface from multiple angles using a hyperspectral imager to separate data about forest canopies from those about understories.[4][5][6][7] The mission's primary contractor is the Italian company SITAEL and the consortium also includes Belgian companies Amos and Vito and the University of Zurich.[4][8] Hibidis was selected for implementation as a Scout-type mission, together with another proposal named SOVA-S, in May 2026.[1][4][9][10][11][12]
| Mission type | Earth observation satellite |
|---|---|
| Operator |  European Space Agency |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer |  SITAEL |
| Launch mass | 70 kg (estimated) |
| | |
See also
editReferences
edit- 1 2 "Greenlight for next two ESA Scout missions – Copernicus á Íslandi". Retrieved 2026-05-20.
- ↑ "Four new candidate Scout missions". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2026-05-20.
- ↑ Gorman, Douglas (2026-05-21). "ESA Approves Two Scout Science Missions". Payload. Retrieved 2026-05-21.
- 1 2 3 "Greenlight for next two ESA Scout missions". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2026-05-20.
- ↑ HIBIDIS - HYPERSPECTRAL BIODIVERSITY SCOUT MISSION (archived)
- ↑ daniele.semeraro@angelcompany.com (2025-06-27). "SITAEL AND ESA SIGN CONTRACT FOR SECOND-CYCLE SCOUT MISSION: HIBIDIS". SITAEL S.p.A. Retrieved 2026-05-20.
- ↑ Marini, Emilio Cozzi e Matteo (2025-08-20). "Nuovi satelliti e Space Factory: i piani di Sitael, la più grande azienda 100% privata dello space in Italy". Forbes Italia (in Italian). Retrieved 2026-05-20.
- ↑ "Hyperspectral Excellence: VITO's Journey | VITO Remote Sensing". remotesensing.vito.be. Retrieved 2026-05-20.
- ↑ Vitetta, Stefano (2026-05-20). "ESA lancia due nuove missioni Scout: Hibidis e SOVA-S per biodiversità e atmosfera". MeteoWeb (in Italian). Retrieved 2026-05-20.
- ↑ admin (2026-05-20). "ESA Expands Earth-Observing Missions with New Scout Satellites Hibidis and SOVA-S". We Headed To Mars. Retrieved 2026-05-20.
- ↑ Cheli, Simonetta. "Member States have approved two new Scout small science missions. Hibidis and SOVA-S". LinkedIn. Retrieved 2026-05-20.
- ↑ Dickinson, David (2026-05-29). "ESA Selects Two New Scout-Class Missions". Universe Today. Retrieved 2026-05-29.
 | This article about one or more spacecraft of a European multinational organisation is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. |