Imaging spectrometers developments in Italian space agency

The imaging spectroscopy is a very powerful tool for the Remote Sensing of the Solar Planets and, in particular, of the Earth. This technique permits to get not only the geometrical information but also the spectral information of the scenario under observation. The number of potential data-products obtainable in this way could be very high, useful and of benefit in several fields of Earth Observation. If these are the advantages on the other side the new dimension will increase the number of data by the number of spectral band, and for this it will increase the technical requirements, mainly, on the Instrument Optical Design, Focal Plane Array, Storage/Compressor Data Unit, Data Transmission etc. The instruments able to produce 3-dimensional data (cube image) are the imaging spectrometers, which depending on the way how the spectral contents is obtained, can be divided in two main categories: •The Fourier Imaging spectrometers •The Dispersing Imaging spectrometers Each one of the above categories of spectrometers has advantages and disadvantages and a choice between the two types can be made only performing a trade-off with the mission requirements. The Italian Space Agency (ASI) from long time is promoting and funding, to industrial and scientific levels, several activities covering almost all the aspects related to the imaging spectroscopy: from the applications to the instruments, from the data compressors to future hyperspectral missions. Purpose of this paper is to present the main results of the activities supported by ASI in this field with particular emphasis on the activities related to the studies and developments of new instruments.