ESAs Earth Explorer Aeolus was launched in August 2018. Aboard the first spaceborne wind lidar ALADIN (Atmospheric LAser Doppler INstrument) was switched on in early September 2018 and demonstrated the capability to provide atmospheric wind profiles globally from particle and molecular backscatter. In doing so, it will contribute to the improvement in numerical weather prediction (NWP) and the understanding of global dynamics. At the same, it is a major step for powerful and frequency stabilized ultraviolet (UV) lasers for space applications. In parallel, ESA and its partners continue the development of this technology by setting up further ground tests based on Aeolus, and preparing the next milestone with ATLID (ATmospheric LIDar) for the Earth Cloud, Aerosol and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE) mission. ATLID is currently fully integrated and getting prepared for its on-ground testing.

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The ATmospheric LIDar (Light Detection and Ranging), ATLID, is part of the payload of the Earth Cloud and Aerosol Explorer (EarthCARE) mission, the sixth Earth Explorer Mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) Living Planet Program. After the successful major step of optical and electrical integration, ATLID has started its performance and functional testing in Toulouse Airbus Defence and Space. The emission part of the instrument has been operated with both TxA (Laser transmitter units) delivered from Leonardo team: as major achievement the main performance of both flight lasers have been tested and confirmed with more than 40mJ UV emission @51Hz with operation via instrument control ACDM flight unit (ATLID control and data management). Tests are parallelized with on one side the EFM test (Electrical Flight Model), and on the other side the OFM tests (Optical flight model). The EFM tests aim at validating the functional and electrical architecture via functional testing on each nominal and redundant path with all the flight electronic units and laser sources. The OFM tests aims validating the receiver alignment from telescope input till fiber detectors, the field of view of the three detection channels and their radiometric performance. OFM vibration tests have been performed and have validated design stability against mechanical loads. End of OFM and EFM tests is planned at summer 2018 and will give go ahead for instrument assembly in its final ATLID PFM configuration with laser cooling system integration. After Ambient performance testing, the environmental test campaign immediately start with EMC, mechanical and thermal vacuum testing.

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ATLID (ATmospheric LIDar) is the atmospheric backscatter Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) instrument on board of the Earth Cloud, Aerosol and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE) mission, the sixth Earth Explorer Mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) Living Planet Programme. ATLID’s purpose is to provide vertical profiles of optically thin cloud and aerosol layers, as well as the altitude of cloud boundaries, with a resolution of 100 m for altitudes of 0 to 20 km, and a resolution of 500 m for 20 km to 40 km. In order to achieve this objective ATLID emits short duration laser pulses in the ultraviolet, at a repetition rate of 51 Hz, while pointing in a near nadir direction along track of the satellite trajectory. The atmospheric backscatter signal is then collected by its 620 mm aperture telescope, filtered through the optics of the instrument focal plane assembly, in order to separate and measure the atmospheric Mie and Rayleigh scattering signals. With the completion of the full instrument assembly in 2019, ATLID has been subjected to an ambient performance test campaign, followed by a successful environmental qualification test campaign, including performance calibration and characterization in thermal vacuum conditions. In this paper the design and operational principle of ATLID is recalled and the major performance test results are presented, addressing the main key receiver and emitter characteristics. Finally, the estimated instrument, in-orbit, flight predictions are presented; these indicate compliance of the ALTID instrument performance against its specification and that it will meet its mission science objectives for the EarthCARE mission, to be launched in 2023.

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