cosine Remote Sensing is leading an innovative land mine detection project under contract with the European Space Agency (ESA), investigating the potential of hyperspectral and thermal imaging to detect landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW).
Conducted with the support of the Dutch Ministry of Defence (MOD, NLD Army Combat Engineers), the 16-month project aims to bridge the gap between theoretical research and operational deployment. Building on the results of an extensive literature study and feasibility assessment, the project will advance to real-world field testing to evaluate how advanced optical sensing techniques can improve the detection, identification, mapping of buried and surface-laid explosive hazards.
The initiative highlights the growing role of space-derived and remote sensing technologies in addressing humanitarian and security challenges, with the potential to enhance demining operations, improve situational awareness, and contribute to safer post-conflict environments worldwide.
Beyond traditional detection methods
Landmines and explosive remnants of war remain a persistent humanitarian threat long after conflicts have ended. According to the Landmine Monitor, more than 60 million civilians across at least 58 countries are still affected by landmines, with thousands of casualties reported every year, most of them civilians and many of them children. Improving detection methods is therefore essential to support humanitarian demining and reduce injuries and loss of life.
The project kicked off in November 2025 and will run until early 2027 under the auspices of ESA-ESRIN’s Φ-lab. It represents a direct continuation of the first feasibility study, which mapped out existing landmine detection techniques and algorithms.
Landmines can expose subtle but detectable signatures in- and outside the visible spectrum. Spectral features in the visible to near-infrared (VNIR), short-wave infrared (SWIR), and thermal infrared ranges, alongside differences in thermal daytime-dependent behaviour between mines and surrounding soil, provide valuable cues for identification. However, earlier studies revealed a lack of high-quality, real-world hyperspectral data of minefields, limiting the development and validation of reliable detection algorithms.
To bridge this data gap, the project has moved directly into the field. The NLD Army Combat Engineers of the Dutch MOD provided a prepared, controlled test minefield containing representative test landmines placed in realistic configurations. Observed under natural environmental conditions, the field serves as the ultimate proving ground for cosine’s optical technology.
From flight campaigns to data analysis
For the project, a compact instrument derived from cosine’s HyperScout space product line was integrated onto a drone platform provided by the NLD Army Combat Engineers. The drone was operated at multiple altitudes over a specially prepared test field, collecting high-resolution hyperspectral and thermal imagery of representative landmine and EWR scenarios.
The first of these key measurement campaigns was successfully completed in May 2026. cosine’s experts are now processing and analysing the large volume of data acquired during the flights. By studying the spectral and thermal signatures captured under different illumination, weather, and environmental conditions, the team aims to determine the most promising favourable operational scenarios for reliable detection and classification.
Defining the future of airborne and space-borne demining
The project is intended to pave the way for the development of a highly specialised payload, tailored specifically for airborne and future space-borne demining applications.
Beyond its profound humanitarian impact, the initiative represents an important strategic milestone for cosine. It demonstrates how technologies originally developed for Earth observation and scientific missions can be leveraged to support humanitarian demining, post-conflict recovery, border security, and broader defence and resilience applications.
By adapting space-proven hyperspectral and thermal imaging capabilities to critical Earth-based safety, security and civil protection challenges, cosine is expanding its remote sensing portfolio and establishing a dedicated business line focused on security and humanitarian solutions, reinforcing its commitment to delivering innovative remote sensing technologies that contribute to a safer and more secure world.
About cosine
Founded in 1998, cosine is a world-leading developer of space instrumentation and measurement systems, making the invisible measurable and the complex actionable. Its expertise spans High-Energy Optics, including optics developed for ESA’s future NewAthena X-ray observatory, as well as remote sensing solutions for Earth Observation and planetary science. With over 25 years of experience and advanced cleanroom and assembly facilities across the Netherlands, Germany, and Italy, cosine brings deep scientific and engineering expertise to some of the most demanding missions in space and on Earth.
About ESA
The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. (https://www.esa.int/)
