Glossary of terms

Aperture – the effective diameter of the opening (e.g. of a telescope) through which light enters the lens or mirror initiating a given optical system. The aperture increases with the diameter of the system and decreases with its length. The larger the aperture of the system, the more sensitive the instrument.

Backlog – orders signed and executed by the Issuer to be settled in future periods.

Clean room – a type of room with controlled environmental parameters, in particular with regard to contaminants such as dust, bacteria, chemical vapours, etc.

Cubesat – a type of miniature artificial satellite with standardised dimensions. At launch, the basic unit has a volume of one litre, dimensions of 10×10×10 cm and a mass of up to 1.33 kg. The size of the satellite can be multiplied: typically to 1.5, 2, 3, 6 and 12 U.

Deep learning – a subcategory of machine learning – involves creating neural networks designed to improve the recognition of a given feature. Thanks to this structure, the machine can learn through its own data processing. The key factor that distinguishes deep learning is that the learning process does not require human control, i.e. it takes place in an unsupervised manner.

EO – Earth Observation.

ESA – European Space Agency.

Project phases according to ESA – project cycle phases according to ESA: Phase 0 – mission analysis and identification, Phase A – feasibility, Phase B – preliminary definition, Phase C – detailed definition, Phase D – qualification and production, Phase E – utilisation/operation, Phase F – disposal/sale.

Flight heritage – confirmation of operation in space.

GSD – Ground sampling distance. 
In remote sensing, the ground sampling distance (GSD) in a digital image of the earth taken from the air or space is the distance between the centres of pixels measured on the ground. For example, in an image with a one-metre GSD, adjacent pixels are one metre apart on the ground. GSD is a measure of one limitation of spatial resolution or image resolution, i.e. a limitation resulting from sampling.

ITAR – International Traffic in Arms Regulations, United States regulations that control the production, sale and distribution of defence and space-related goods and services.

Collimation – telescope collimation/adjustment aims to correctly align all optical elements (mirrors, lenses) that make up an optical telescope.

LEO – Low Earth Orbit.

NASA – National Aeronautics and Space Administration, a United States government agency responsible for the national space flight programme.

Multispectral imaging – multispectral (multispectral) imaging – image recording techniques that generalise colour photography to the full colour space in the visible light range, as well as microwaves, far and near infrared, and ultraviolet. A multispectral image consists of multiple channels that generalise the primary colour channels: R (red), G (green) and B (blue) to any spectral range. Depending on the number of spectral channels, imaging techniques are conventionally divided into multispectral – several channels; hyperspectral – 100 or more channels.

OECD – Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

OCR (Optical Character Recognition) is a technology that enables optical recognition of characters in graphic, printed and handwritten files, which significantly streamlines work processes in offices and businesses.

PAN – panchromatic means single-channel.

Payload – the satellite’s useful load, e.g. an optical telescope.

POLSA – Polish Space Agency.

RGB – one of the colour space models described by RGB coordinates. Its name comes from the first letters of the English names of the colours: R – red, G – green and B – blue, 
which make up this model. It is a model based on the perceptual properties of the human eye, in which the impression of seeing any colour can be evoked by mixing three beams of red, green and blue light in specific proportions.

SAR – Synthetic Aperture Radar used to obtain high-resolution images of stationary objects. Radar is used to create images of the Earth’s surface and other planets using remote sensing techniques.

SCS – Scanway Camera System, a series of vision systems designed for space applications, including cameras and various sensors capable of collecting and processing data.

Smallsat – a small satellite, depending on the definition, weighing less than 500 kg or 1,200 kg.

SOP – Scanway’s Optical Payload, telescopes manufactured by Scanway, mainly used for Earth observation.

Space 4.0 – Space 4.0 represents the evolution of the space sector into a new era characterised by new opportunities. This era is developing thanks to the interaction between governments, the private sector, society and politics. Space 4.0 is analogous to and intertwined with Industry 4.0, which is considered to be the emerging fourth industrial revolution in manufacturing and services.

SSA – Space Situational Awareness refers to tracking objects in orbit and predicting where they will be at a given moment.

SSO – Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO), also known as heliosynchronous orbit, is an orbit in which the angle between the orbital plane and the direction of the Sun remains constant throughout the year, meaning that the satellite (in this orbit) always passes over a given area at the same local time (depending only on the latitude), i.e. it is an orbit whose plane is close to the polar plane, and its altitude ensures that the satellite passes twice a day over places on the Earth’s surface with the same latitude. Synchronising the satellite’s orbit with the movement of the Sun ensures constant illumination of areas located at the same latitudes, which is important, for example, in multispectral imaging.

SWIR – short-wave infrared light, usually defined as light in the wavelength range of 0.9–1.7 μm, but it can also be classified in the range of 0.7 to 2.5 μm.

Telemetry – a field of science and technology that deals with the collection, processing and transmission of data from remote objects. Its practical application enables remote monitoring and control of various parameters and phenomena in real time.

TRL – Technology Readiness Level.

TRL 9 – the highest level of technological readiness – technology operation confirmed in space.

U – unit – a unit of volume used to define the size of CubeSat class nanosatellites, 1U = 10 x 10 x 10 cm.

Deep learning – a subcategory of machine learning – involves creating neural networks designed to improve the recognition of a given feature. Thanks to this structure, the machine can learn through its own data processing. The key factor that distinguishes deep learning is that the learning process does not require human control, i.e. it takes place in an unsupervised manner.

VHR – Very High Resolution.

VIS, NIR, SWIR – VIS – visible spectrum band, NIR – near-infrared spectrum band, SWIR – mid-infrared spectrum band.