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The UVSQ-SAT/INSPIRESat-5 CubeSat Mission: First In-Orbit Measurements of the Earth’s Outgoing Radiation

Authors :
Mustapha Meftah
Thomas Boutéraon
Christophe Dufour
Alain Hauchecorne
Philippe Keckhut
Adrien Finance
Slimane Bekki
Sadok Abbaki
Emmanuel Bertran
Luc Damé
Jean-Luc Engler
Patrick Galopeau
Pierre Gilbert
Laurent Lapauw
Alain Sarkissian
André-Jean Vieau
Patrick Lacroix
Nicolas Caignard
Xavier Arrateig
Odile Hembise Fanton d’Andon
Antoine Mangin
Jean-Paul Carta
Fabrice Boust
Michel Mahé
Christophe Mercier
Source :
Remote Sensing, Vol 13, Iss 8, p 1449 (2021)
Publication Year :
2021
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2021.

Abstract

UltraViolet & infrared Sensors at high Quantum efficiency onboard a small SATellite (UVSQ-SAT) is a small satellite at the CubeSat standard, whose development began as one of the missions in the International Satellite Program in Research and Education (INSPIRE) consortium in 2017. UVSQ-SAT is an educational, technological and scientific pathfinder CubeSat mission dedicated to the observation of the Earth and the Sun. It was imagined, designed, produced and tested by LATMOS in collaboration with its academic and industrial partners, and the French-speaking radioamateur community. About the size of a Rubik’s Cube and weighing about 2 kg, this satellite was put in orbit in January 2021 by the SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle. After briefly introducing the UVSQ-SAT mission, this paper will present the importance of measuring the Earth’s radiation budget and its energy imbalance and the scientific objectives related to its various components. Finally, the first in-orbit observations will be shown (maps of the solar radiation reflected by the Earth and of the outgoing longwave radiation at the top of the atmosphere during February 2021). UVSQ-SAT is one of the few CubeSats worldwide with a scientific goal related to climate studies. It represents a research in remote sensing technologies for Climate observation and monitoring.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
20724292
Volume :
13
Issue :
8
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Remote Sensing
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.2b63467feb1c410abe004b238f352814
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13081449