Bridging space expertise: cosine hosts the Copernicus CHIME Team

Recently, cosine hosted the Copernicus Hyperspectral Imaging Mission for the Environment (CHIME) team at its headquarters in Sassenheim, The Netherlands. The visit aimed to spark a synergy between the two organisations, sharing expertise in hyperspectral technology and exploring cosine’s production facilities.

As a key actor in optical space instrumentation with a proven track record of successful orbital missions, cosine hosted the visit to foster technical synergy and exchange critical insights into the future of Earth observation.

The day began with a series of presentations and collaborative discussions. The two teams explored advancements in hyperspectral technology, leveraging cosine’s long history of developing high-performance optical payloads to identify potential areas for innovation within the Copernicus framework.

The visit concluded with an extensive tour of cosine’s state-of-the-art facilities. The CHIME delegation was given a firsthand look at the 1,000 m² cleanroom complex, where cosine scientists and engineers build and test sophisticated instruments for customers.

This meeting of minds reinforces the strong partnership between industrial leaders and European environmental monitoring initiatives, ensuring the next generation of spaceborne sensors meets the highest standards of scientific precision.

According to Marco Esposito, Managing Director of cosine Remote Sensing, the discussion offered valuable insights into the potential of hyperspectral applications, the scalability of technologies under development in Europe across diverse use cases, and cosine’s position within the broader ecosystem. Both the ESA and cosine teams greatly appreciated the opportunity to exchange perspectives and explore topics of common interest.

About CHIME
The Copernicus Hyperspectral Imaging Mission for the Environment (CHIME) is a planned Earth observation mission developed by the European Union and ESA to provide hyperspectral data in support of environmental and resource monitoring. It consists of two identical satellites, CHIME-A and CHIME-B, each equipped with a hyperspectral imager for applications in sustainable agriculture, food security, raw materials, and ecosystem assessment.

About cosine
cosine is a leading worldwide company in the development of space instrumentation, such as Silicon Pore Optics for astronomy and remote sensing solutions with onboard analytics for Earth Observation and planetary science. cosine combines physics and technology to bring out-of-the-box solutions to its clients. cosine has been developing and delivering innovative measurement systems for space and industrial applications since 1998. The company operates more than 1,000 m² of cleanrooms and high-tech assembly facilities to build and test the systems we produce for customers at our headquarters in Sassenheim, The Netherlands and at subsidiaries in Berlin, Germany and Benevento, Italy.