Design, Performance, and Applications of AMMIS: A Novel Airborne Multimodular Imaging Spectrometer for High-Resolution Earth Observations

• Push-broom airborne hyperspectral imager presented for fine Earth observations. • Advanced design, performance tests, and calibration methods of the imager discussed. • Large-scale hyperspectral datasets obtained for deep-learning algorithms. • Imager applied for detection of gases, minerals, coastal water, and vegetation anomalies. Airborne hyperspectral imaging spectrometers have been used for Earth observations over the past four decades. Despite the high sensitivity of push-broom hyperspectral imagers, they suffer from limited swath and wavelength coverage. In this study, we report on the development of a push-broom airborne multi-modular imaging spectrometer (AMMIS) that spans the ultraviolet (UV), visible near-infrared (VNIR), shortwave infrared (SWIR), and thermal infrared (TIR) wavelengths. As an integral part of China’s High-Resolution Earth Observation Program, the AMMIS is intended for civilian applications and to validate key technologies for future space-borne hyperspectral payloads. It has been mounted on aircraft platforms, including the Y-5, Y-12, and XZ-60. Since 2016, it has performed over 30 flight campaigns and gathered more than 200 TB of hyperspectral data. This paper describes the system design, calibration techniques, performance tests, flight campaigns, and applications of the AMMIS. The system integrates UV, VNIR, SWIR, and TIR modules, which can be operated either in combination or individually based on the application requirements. Each module includes three spectrometers, utilizing field-of-view (FOV) stitching technology to achieve a 40° FOV, thereby enhancing operational efficiency. We have designed advanced optical systems for all modules, particularly for the TIR module, and employed cryogenic optical technology to maintain optical system stability at 100 K. Both laboratory and in-flight calibrations have been conducted to improve the preprocessing accuracy and produce high-quality hyperspectral data. The AMMIS features more than 1400 spectral bands, with spectral sampling intervals of 0.1 nm for UV, 2.4 nm for VNIR, 3 nm for SWIR, and 32 nm for TIR. The instantaneous fields of view (IFoVs) for the four modules are 0.5, 0.25, 0.5, and 1 mrad, respectively, with the VNIR module achieving an IFoV of 0.125 mrad in high-spatial-resolution mode. This paper reports on land-cover surveys, pollution gas detection, mineral exploration, coastal water detection, and plant investigation conducted using the AMMIS, highlighting its excellent performance. We also present three hyperspectral datasets with diverse scene distributions and categories suitable for developing artificial intelligence algorithms. This study paves the way for next-generation airborne and space-borne hyperspectral payloads and serves as a valuable reference for hyperspectral sensor designers and data users.