There is an ongoing debate about whether CMOS or CCD is the better technology for space imaging. The reality is that the answer depends on the exact application being considered. In this article we present one field, hyperspectral imaging (HSI), where CMOS technology can potentially avoid some of the disadvantages that have been seen with CCDs and discuss the design of a sensor that is optimised for this application. The challenges with hyperspectral imaging result from the very large difference in intensity between the weakest and brightest spectral lines. The use of CMOS technology removes the frame-shift smear that can produce significant crosstalk. The design of the sensor has been focused at obtaining the optimum performance from all spectral lines by allowing flexible integration time and sensitivity. In this paper we present the concept and design of a novel pixel and sensor architecture that achieves the difficult combination of fully pipelined synchronous shutter operation, in a standard CMOS technology (with higher resistivity and thicker epi), and which is capable of operating with maximum fill factor in backside illumination. The pixel is also capable of CDS operation.