JPSS-3 VIIRS pre-launch thermal emissive band calibration

The Joint Polar Satellite System 3 (JPSS-3) is the follow-on to the Suomi-National Polar-orbiting Partnership (S-NPP), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 20 (NOAA-20) and JPSS-2 satellites. A primary sensor on the S-NPP, NOAA-20 and JPSS satellites, the Visible-Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) has 22 bands covering a spectral range of 0.412-12.0 µmwith spatial resolutions of 742mand 371m for the moderate and imaging bands, respectively. VIIRS provides radiometrically calibrated Sensor Data Records (SDRs) using a combination of pre -launch characterization and on-orbit calibration sources, such as the Solar Diffuser (SD) for the Reflective Solar Bands (RSBs) and an On-Board Calibrator BlackBody (OBCBB) for the Thermal Emissive Bands (TEBs), for gain correction. Each VIIRS sensor build goes through extensive pre-launch characterization at vendor’s testing facility. This includes ambient, vibration, electro-magnetic interference and thermal vacuum (TVAC) environments. Each test environment is used to characterize different performance parameters for sensor functionality and on-orbit applications. This paper will focus on the JPSS-3 VIIRS pre-launch TEB calibration measured during the sensor level TVAC testing in late 2020. This will include the dynamic range, noise equivalent delta temperature, gain characterization and radiometric retrievals as well as a brief comparison with heritage VIIRS sensor TVAC results.