Nahla

Nahla is a Belgian Earth-observation satellite built by Aerospacelab using the VSP-150 platform. It carries the CSIMBA hyperspectral payload manufactured by AMOS and partners. The mission supports European environmental monitoring under the IPERLITE program.

The mission’s primary purpose is the acquisition of hyperspectral data for bio-agricultural monitoring. Its imagery supports applications in vegetation analysis, land-use assessment and environmental management. The mission is operated under a Mission-as-a-Service arrangement in which Aerospacelab provides space and ground segment operations while VITO manages the user segment. Data delivery is governed by predefined performance indicators to ensure consistent product quality.

The satellite was developed within a partnership involving VITO, with support from the European Space Agency and framed by Belgian national space policy through BELSPO. The CSIMBA payload (Compact Smartspectral Imager for Monitoring Bio-agricultural Areas) was produced by AMOS with contributions from IMEC, Deltatec and Spacebel.

Nahla is based on Aerospacelab’s VSP-150 platform, designed as a flight-proven small-satellite bus for Earth-observation missions. The platform supports flexible payload accommodation and standardized subsystems for streamlined integration.

CSIMBA provides 150 spectral bands with a spatial resolution of 20 meters across an 80-kilometer swath. These characteristics enable wide-area coverage while preserving spectral detail suitable for agricultural and environmental diagnostics. The satellite’s systems support data acquisition, storage and downlink operations tailored to high-volume spectral imaging.

Nahla was launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 during the Transporter-15 rideshare mission, facilitated by Exolaunch. The satellite was deployed into low Earth orbit as part of a multi-payload launch configuration.