Radiometric correction of RapidEye imagery using the on-orbit side-slither method

RapidEye AG is a commercial provider of geo-spatial information products derived from Earth observation image data. The source of this data is the RapidEye constellation of five low-earth-orbit imaging satellites. Image data from satellite electro-optical sensors contains spatial artifacts such as banding and streaking that are caused by detector responsivity variations, factors related to image formation, and the space environment. This paper describes the results of a relative radiometric calibration and correction campaign that was conducted between March and July 2011 using the side-slither technique. Radiometrically uniform terrestrial scenes that included desert and snow/ice regions were imaged with a RapidEye sensor in a ninety-degree yaw orbital configuration. In this configuration each detector on the focal plane was positioned parallel to the ground-track direction thereby exposing each detector to the light reflected from the same segment of the ground. This maneuver produced a radiometrically flat-field input to the sensor so that the relative response of each detector was determined for the same exposure level. Side-slither derived detector correction parameters were then used to improve the quality of RapidEye imagery that contained noticeable spatial artifacts. A significant improvement in image correction was achieved when compared to our standard correction procedures.