CALIPSO small satellite flight commissioning

Paper number

IAC-06-B5.4.09

Author

Mr. Jean Blouvac, Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), France

Coauthor

Mr. Francois Paoli, Thales Alenia Space, France

Coauthor

Mr. Philippe Landiech, Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), France

Coauthor

Mr. Patrick Castillan, Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), France

Year

2006

Abstract

The CALIPSO (Cloud-Aerosols Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations) program, decided in 1998, is the result of cooperation between NASA and CNES.  The scientific mission is intended to provide global measurements of aerosols and clouds to better understand their direct and indirect roles in the climate system. Moreover, the CALIPSO small satellite will join the A-train afternoon constellation including also Aqua, Cloudsat, Parasol, Aura and OCO satellites allowing coincident measurements and multiple data correlations. This will greatly enhance scientific returns well beyond CALIPSO mission own goals.

The CALIPSO small satellite will then fly on a 705 km sun synchronous orbit. It is composed of PROTEUS multi-mission platform provided by Alcatel Alenia Space under CNES contract and of a scientific payload provided by Ball Aerospace under NASA contract. The payload includes a two-wavelength (532 nm, 1064 nm) polarization-sensitive Lidar with a 1 meter telescope, a three channels (8.65, 10.6 and 12.05 micrometer)imaging Infrared Radiometer(this instrument is provided by SODERN, France) and a Wide Field Camera. The satellite assembly and tests have been achieved in April 05 in Cannes Alcatel Alenia Space facilities. Then the satellite has been transported to Vandenberg AF base where it has been fuelled and stacked with Cloudsat with which it should be launched on a Delta-II rocket. Since end of August 05, both satellites inertly stored in Astrotech facilities, are expecting a transfer to the rocket for a 2 weeks final operations sequence and a final countdown which is now foreseen in spring 06.

After a general mission introduction and a description of the project components, notably the small satellite, the paper will focus on the flight commissioning. Payload and platform teams have issued in-flight assessment plans for operational rehearsals but are now expecting data from actual hardware in space.  Hopefully, the space data will be available and the paper will more specifically present flight behavior of new PROTEUS platform equipment units. Namely, a Saft Li-ion battery, 2 SODERN SED16 star-trackers and 3 ITHACO 180 A.m2 magnetic actuators, all of them foreseen to improve platform performance. This should give attractiveness for new missions using a PROTEUS platform, in addition to CALIPSO, COROT, SMOS and JASON2 missions.

Abstract document

IAC-06-B5.4.09.pdf

Manuscript document

IAC-06-B5.4.09.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).

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