A vacuum-compatible flat plate radiometric source for system-level testing of optical sensors

Abstract

In this work, development of a fiber-optically coupled, vacuum-compatible, flat plate radiometric source applicable to the characterization and calibration of remote sensing optical sensors in situ in a thermal vacuum chamber is described. Results of thermal and radiometric performance of a flat plate illumination source in a temperature-controlled vacuum chamber operating at liquid nitrogen temperature are presented. Applications, including use with monochromatic tunable laser sources for the end-to-end system-level testing of large aperture sensors, are briefly discussed.

Improved thermal-vacuum compatible flat plate radiometric source for system-level testing of optical sensors

“…The Flat Plate Illuminator (FPI) program developed a vacuum-compatible radiometric source that could be used during the Sensor-and Spacecraft-level testing of the Visible Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Sensor as a quality control check for the instrument's radiometric stability. 1 The first version of the FPI was used during the National Polar orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) Preparatory Project (NPP) at the Spacecraft-level for radiometric performance trending of the NPP VIIRS Flight 1 Sensor baseline acceptance testing and Spacecraft thermal vacuum (TVAC) testing. 2 After this testing period, areas of improvement in the source were identified and incorporated into an upgraded version of the FPI which was developed and tested.…”

Improved thermal-vacuum compatible flat plate radiometric source for system-level testing of optical sensors

“…1 The FPI was used at the NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP) spacecraft level for radiometric performance trending of the NPP VIIRS Flight 1 sensor for baseline acceptance testing and spacecraft thermal vacuum testing. 2 The FPI is now being utilized on the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), which is the next-generation LEO suite of operational environmental satellites; JPSS satellites will circle the Earth approximately once every 100 min., providing global information about the atmosphere, oceans, land and near-space environment.…”

“…2 The FPI is now being utilized on the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), which is the next-generation LEO suite of operational environmental satellites; JPSS satellites will circle the Earth approximately once every 100 min., providing global information about the atmosphere, oceans, land and near-space environment. 1,2 In this work, we describe the improvements that were extended from the NPP FPI 1 to the next-generation JPSS FPI.…”