Context. The Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) is part of the remote sensing instrument package of the ESA/NASA Solar Orbiter mission that will explore the inner heliosphere and observe the Sun from vantage points close to the Sun and out of the ecliptic. Solar Orbiter will advance the “connection science” between solar activity and the heliosphere. Aims. With EUI we aim to improve our understanding of the structure and dynamics of the solar atmosphere, globally as well as at high resolution, and from high solar latitude perspectives. Methods. The EUI consists of three telescopes, the Full Sun Imager and two High Resolution Imagers, which are optimised to image in Lyman-α and EUV (17.4 nm, 30.4 nm) to provide a coverage from chromosphere up to corona. The EUI is designed to cope with the strong constraints imposed by the Solar Orbiter mission characteristics. Limited telemetry availability is compensated by state-of-the-art image compression, onboard image processing, and event selection. The imposed power limitations and potentially harsh radiation environment necessitate the use of novel CMOS sensors. As the unobstructed field of view of the telescopes needs to protrude through the spacecraft’s heat shield, the apertures have been kept as small as possible, without compromising optical performance. This led to a systematic effort to optimise the throughput of every optical element and the reduction of noise levels in the sensor. Results. In this paper we review the design of the two elements of the EUI instrument: the Optical Bench System and the Common Electronic Box. Particular attention is also given to the onboard software, the intended operations, the ground software, and the foreseen data products. Conclusions. The EUI will bring unique science opportunities thanks to its specific design, its viewpoint, and to the planned synergies with the other Solar Orbiter instruments. In particular, we highlight science opportunities brought by the out-of-ecliptic vantage point of the solar poles, the high-resolution imaging of the high chromosphere and corona, and the connection to the outer corona as observed by coronagraphs.

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In the framework of instrument calibration, straylight issues are a critical aspect that can deteriorate the optical performances of instrument. To cope with this, a new facility is designed dedicated for in-field and far field straylight characterization: up to 10 -8 for in-field and up to 10 -10 for far field straylight in the visible to NIR spectral ranges. Moreover, from previous straylight test performed at CSL, vacuum conditions are needed for reaching the 10 -10 rejection requirement mainly to avoid air/dust diffusion. The major constrains are to design a straylight facility either for in-field and out-field straylight measurements. That requires high dynamic range at source level and a high radiance point source allowing small diverging collimated beam. Moreover, the straylight facility has to be implemented into a limited envelope and has to be built with vacuum compatible materials and black coating. As checking the facility performance requires an instrument better than the facility itself, that is no easy to find, so that the performances have been estimated through a modelisation into a non sequential optical software. This modelisation is based on CAD importation of mechanical design, on BRDF characteristics of black coating and on statistical averaging of ray tracing at instrument entrance.

<p>Ariel, the Atmospheric Remote-sensing Infrared Exoplanet Large-survey, was adopted as the fourth medium-class mission in ESA's Cosmic Vision programme to be launched in 2029. During its 4-year mission, Ariel will study what exoplanets are made of, how they formed and how they evolve, by surveying a diverse sample of about 1000 extrasolar planets, simultaneously in visible and infrared wavelengths. It is the first mission dedicated to measuring the chemical composition and thermal structures of hundreds of transiting exoplanets, enabling planetary science far beyond the boundaries of the Solar System. The payload consists of an off-axis Cassegrain telescope (primary mirror 1100 mm x 730 mm ellipse) and two separate instruments (FGS and AIRS) covering simultaneously 0.5-7.8 micron spectral range. The satellite is best placed into an L2 orbit to maximise the thermal stability and the field of regard. The payload module is passively cooled via a series of V-Groove radiators; the detectors for the AIRS are the only items that require active cooling via an active Ne JT cooler. The Ariel payload is developed by a consortium of more than 50 institutes from 16 ESA countries, which include the UK, France, Italy, Belgium, Poland, Spain, Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Portugal, Czech Republic, Hungary, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Estonia, and a NASA contribution.</p> <p>This presentation provides an overall summary of the science and instrument design for Ariel and presents the many activities that the Ariel team have planned to engage the science community at large and the public prior to launch. These include the Ariel Dry-Run program and citizen-science programs such as ExoClock and the Ariel Data Challenges.</p>

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