EarthCARE mission, overview, implementation approach, and development status

Lefebvre, Alain; Hélière, Arnaud; Albiñana, Aberlardo Pérez; Wallace, Kotska; Maeusli, Damien; Lemanczyk, J.; Lusteau, C.; Nakatsuka, Hirotaka; Tomita, Eiichi

doi:10.1117/12.2069309

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…• a depolarization cirrus : cirrus with 10% depolarization ratio, par =2.6 × 10 -5 sr -1 m -1 and per = 2.6 × 10 -6 sr -1 m -1 Table 1. ATLID radiometric characteristics prediction for flight 1 value predicted in flight is different from ground measured value due to gravity focusing effects; 2 End of life value without etalon transmission; 3 photo flux ratio characteristics of HSRE.…”

Section: Performance Summary Tablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

ESA Atmospheric LIDAR (ATLID) testing, qualification, and calibration

Villèle

Carmo

Wallace

et al. 2021

International Conference on Space Optics — ICSO 2020

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The global representation of aerosol, clouds, and their impact on the energy budget remains a major source of uncertainties in global models for climate predictions, but also strong weather events in numerical weather prediction. Earth Cloud, Aerosol and Radiation Explorer (EarthCARE) mission, the sixth Earth Explorer Mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) Living Planet Programme, shall improve the understanding by three dimensional observations of global profiles of cloud, aerosol, precipitation and associated radiative properties. A major contribution will be provided by the ATmospheric LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), ATLID, being developed and tested by Airbus Defence and Space S.A.S in Toulouse. ATLID is a High Spectral Resolution-Polarization LIDAR and will provide vertical profiles of optically thin cloud and aerosol layers, the aerosol type, as well as the altitude of cloud boundaries. After the development, qualification and delivery of all units, ATLID integration has finally been completed and the self-standing instrument was successfully tested to demonstrate its performance under ambient and space environment conditions, in Toulouse and CSL/Liège respectively. All preliminary test results obtained up to now are very promising and indicate ATLID's capability and compliance to all performance goals and specifications. The instrument has been now delivered, to Airbus Defence and Space GmbH Immenstaad, and integrated into the EarthCARE platform. Results of ATLID ambient test campaign, EMC, mechanical test campaign, and thermal balance test campaign, along with final performance and calibration test results shall be presented in this paper.

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Section: Performance Summary Tablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

ESA Atmospheric LIDAR (ATLID) testing, qualification, and calibration

Villèle

Carmo

Wallace

et al. 2021

International Conference on Space Optics — ICSO 2020

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“…The quasi-polar orbit will allow to cover all latitudes from equator to ± 83°. The EarthCARE payload [2][3][4][5] consists of four instruments that will, in a synergetic manner, retrieve vertical profiles of clouds and aerosols, and the characteristics of the radiative and micro-physical properties, to determine flux gradients within the atmosphere as well as top of atmosphere radiance and flux. Specifically, EarthCARE scientific objectives are:…”

Section: Introduction: the Earthcare Missionmentioning

confidence: 99%

ATmospheric LIDar (ATLID): European Space Agency Instrument Ready to Measure Aerosols and Thin Clouds in Atmosphere

Carmo¹,

Villèle²,

Wallace³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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ATLID (ATmospheric LIDar) is the atmospheric backscatter LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) on board of the EarthCARE (Earth Cloud, Aerosol and Radiation Explorer) mission, the sixth Earth Explorer Mission of the ESA (European Space Agency) Living Planet Programme [1-5]. ATLID’s purpose is to provide vertical profiles of optically thin cloud and aerosol layers, as well as the altitude of cloud boundaries [6-10]. In order to achieve this objective ATLID emits short duration laser pulses in the UV, 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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“…These observations subsequently offer an insight into the thermodynamic processes responsible for the structure of the atmosphere and temperature of the planet. This spectral region can also be used to characterise cloud formation [12] , retrieval of atmospheric composition in the presence of ice clouds and planetary thermal energy balance [13] .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cooled optical filters forQ-band infrared astronomy (15-40 μm)

et al. 2016

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With a growing interest in mid-and far-infrared astronomy using cooled imaging and spectrometer instruments in highaltitude observatories and spaceflight telescopes, it is becoming increasingly important to characterise and assess the spectral performance of cooled multilayer filters across the Q-band atmospheric window. This region contains spectral features emitted by many astrophysical phenomena and objects fundamental to circumstellar and planetary formation theories. However extending interference filtering to isolate radiation at progressively longer wavelengths and improve photometric accuracy is an area of ongoing and challenging thin-film research. We have successfully fabricated cooled bandpass and edge filters with high durability for operation across the 15-30 μm Q-band region. In this paper we describe the rationale for selection of optical materials and properties of fabricated thin-film coatings for this region, together with FTIR spectral measurements and assessment of environmental durability.

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EarthCARE mission, overview, implementation approach, and development status

Cited by 5 publications

References 0 publications

ESA Atmospheric LIDAR (ATLID) testing, qualification, and calibration

ESA Atmospheric LIDAR (ATLID) testing, qualification, and calibration

ATmospheric LIDar (ATLID): European Space Agency Instrument Ready to Measure Aerosols and Thin Clouds in Atmosphere

Cooled optical filters forQ-band infrared astronomy (15-40 μm)

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