Patrick Phelan and his team at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) are building the digital nervous system of a satellite that won’t launch until 2031—Landsat 10, the next sentinel in NASA and USGS’s decades-long mission to map Earth’s changing surface. Since 1972, the Landsat program has launched nine satellites and amassed over 10 million images, forming the longest continuous record of Earth’s land in existence. Now, SwRI is engineering the flight electronics and software that will power Landsat 10’s advanced imaging suite, enabling it to capture and compress a staggering ~1.8 gigabits of data every second—more than any previous mission. This leap in data throughput means scientists will receive richer, more detailed observations of forests, farms, and freshwater systems with unprecedented radiometric precision.
The satellite’s payload, known as the Landsat Instrument Suite (LandIS), is being developed by Raytheon, an RTX business, with SwRI serving as a key subcontractor. SwRI’s responsibilities go beyond basic data handling: they’re designing the electronics that control the instrument’s camera mirrors, ensuring they stay precisely positioned to capture wide, sharp images of Earth’s surface. They’re also building thermal control systems to maintain optimal operating temperatures in the harsh environment of space, as well as ground-based simulators that will allow scientists to rehearse observation campaigns before the satellite even launches. These tools are critical for maximizing the mission’s scientific return.
Landsat 10’s data will inform vital decisions about water quality and usage, agricultural productivity, soil conservation, and forest management—resources under growing pressure from climate change and population growth. The satellite’s enhanced capabilities will allow researchers to detect subtle environmental shifts earlier and with greater confidence. SwRI’s team recently passed a major milestone by completing the preliminary design review, and they’re now constructing a prototype unit ahead of a critical design review later this year.
This project builds on SwRI’s deep heritage in space instrumentation, drawing from experience on prior NASA missions and private space ventures. For Phelan, the mission is about more than technical achievement—it’s about equipping humanity with the knowledge to navigate an uncertain future. As he puts it, 'Fundamentally, if we can gain more information about what's happening on the Earth in as much detail as possible, we will be better equipped to manage future challenges and utilize available resources.' With Landsat 10, that vision is taking digital shape, one gigabit at a time.