INSIDE INNOVATION
EARTH OBSERVATION WITH LYNX4MP-70
Lynx4MP-70: A Compact Wide Swath Camera for Earth Observation
17th January 2026
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Earth Observation with Lynx4MP-70
Earth Observation data has a wide range of applications to support life on Earth. Different earth observation applications typically require image data with different Ground Sampling Distances (GSD) and swath.
Wide Swath or wide Field of View (FoV) earth observation cameras generally provide wide contextual view of the earth while narrow swath or narrow FoV cameras provide finer details. Wide swatch cameras proven to be effective in many applications such as deforestation and land use monitoring, flood monitoring, waterbody monitoring, bushfire monitoring, and weather monitoring.
Infinity Avionics provides a range of cameras suitable for earth observation applications such as Lynx4MP-70 and Orion12MP-550. Lynx4MP-70 provides a small form factor, easy to integrate, and affordable earth observation solution for earth observation applications.
Lynx4MP-70
Lynx4MP is a 4MP TRL9 global shutter camera designed for space applications. The camera comes with on-board RAM and Flash memory to support on-board data storage. The camera can be combined with different optical assemblies depending on the mission requirements. Infinity Avionics provides both monochrome and RGB version of Lynx4MP camera.
Lynx4MP-70 combines the Lynx4MP back-end electronics module with a TRL9 COTS qualified optical assembly. The optical assembly has a 70mm focal length and F-number equals to 4. The pixel pitch of Lynx4MP is 5.5um. The combination of the image sensor and the optical assembly provide 39m GSD. If you want to know more about calculating GSD, refer to this article.
Operating with GSD of approximately 39 meters at a 500 km orbit, Lynx4MP-70 camera occupies a vital niche in Earth Observation (EO). With its 2048 x 2048 pixel resolution, the camera provides a 79km swath. Lynx4MP-70 provides enough detail to monitor large-scale environmental changes while maintaining a wide enough field of view to capture significant context. Lynx4MP-70 can be easily integrated with standard 3U cube satellite platforms. The low power consumption, simple communication interfaces, and ability to support different filter options makes Lynx4MP-70 camera an ideal payload for space missions which require wide-swath EO imagery.
Lynx4MP-70 Specifications
| PARAMETER | VALUE |
|---|---|
| Spatial resolution (GSD) | 39 m at 500 km orbit |
| Focal length | 70 mm |
| F number | 2.2 |
| Spectral range | VIS, NIR |
| Optics interface | C-mount |
| Dimensions | 100mm x 100mm x 125mm |
| Weight | 500 grams |
| Total ionizing dose | Up to 40 kRad |
| Recommended temperature for imaging | 10 - 30 C |
Example Applications
- Deforestation and Land Use Monitoring
Lynx4MP-70’s spectral range, covering both Visible (VIS) and Near-Infrared (NIR), makes it an excellent tool for vegetation analysis. The camera provides wide swath to enable monitoring vegetation, forests, and other land features to support change monitoring and management.
- Flood and bushfire monitoring
During natural disasters such as flood and bushfire, situational awareness is vital for disaster management, control, and planning. The 39m resolution is ideal for identifying flooded plains, breached levees, and submerged infrastructure over large areas in flood situations as well as track the direction and density of smoke plumes, providing vital data for air quality warnings and aviation safety in bushfire conditions.
- Wide FoV Context Camera for High-Resolution Payloads
One of the most strategic uses for the Lynx4MP-70 is as a context camera sitting alongside a high-resolution primary payload (such as a sub-meter GSD telescope). While acting as a context camera, Lynx4MP-70 can be used as a cloud detection camera to cue a high-resolution primary payload to reduce generating low value high-resolution imagery.