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Completed TRL 1 (started at 1, targeting 1)
Hyperspectral microwave sensors, which offer a few hundred to a few thousand channels, are strongly advocated by space and meteorological agencies worldwide. These sensors are critical for enhancing the capability of Earth atmospheric sounding, particularly for measuring temperature and water vapor from space. Despite their significance, current microwave sensors in the Program of Record are limited to only a couple dozen sparsely sampled channels, which constrains the vertical resolution and accuracy of the sounding profiles. The primary challenge lies in traditional radio-frequency technology's inability to process ultra-wide bandwidths (20-200 GHz) at hyperspectral resolutions (<1 GHz) simultaneously, while keeping the instrument size, weight, power consumption, and cost feasible.
These challenges are now being effectively addressed. The NASA Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO) and the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program have made significant investments in GSFC hyperspectral microwave technology by funding research and development in Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC) and Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) technologies. These efforts have ultimately led to the direction of a hyperspectral microwave spaceflight pathfinder project, the Atmospheric Ultra-high Resolution Optical and RAdio-frequency (AURORA) Pathfinder. AURORA Pathfinder is led by GSFC, in collaboration with JPL and the private industry. The overarching goal of the AURORA Pathfinder project is to deliver the first-of-its-kind combined ASIC digital spectrometer and microwave PIC technology instrument, demonstrating its readiness for spaceflight and science demonstration.
The recently published NASA Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) Incubation Study Team Report lists hyperspectral microwave sensors as one of the “Essential Components” of the future global PBL observing system. Hyperspectral microwave measurements were deemed critical for providing improved three-dimensional (3D) temperature and water vapor structure context in the PBL and free troposphere under all-sky conditions, complementing active measurements like lidar and radar, and expanding the synergistic capability of passive sounders (e.g., infrared and visible). The report responded to the 2017 Decadal Survey identification of the Earth’s PBL as an incubation-ready ‘Targeted Observable’.
In response, we studied and configured the AURORA Pathfinder design to mature Technology Readiness Level enabling spaceborne hyperspectral MW measurements that can meet the Science Readiness Level requirements outlined in the PBL Study Team Report’s Science Applications Traceability Matrix (SATM).
AURORA Pathfinder will provide improved and detailed measurement of the Earth’s thermal microwave radiation which contains critical information in the Earth’s planetary boundary layer, as well as atmospheric temperature, water vapor and hydrometeors. Concurrent PBL DSI funded efforts have matured radiative transfer and inverse techniques to perform trade studies aimed at determining the optimal spectral configuration to maximize PBL and full atmospheric vertical column performance, demonstrating an improvement of up to 50% in profiling temperature and water – including the PBL – compared to the program of record (e.g., ATMS and TROPICS).
NOAA has augmented this research through a BAA funding opportunity whose developments are about to deploy an important field experiment: the West-Coast & Heartland Hyperspectral Microwave Sensor Intensive Experiment (WHyMSIE).
AURORA Pathfinder design will address three fundamental PBL Science objectives discussed in the NASA Incubation PBL Study Team report: PBL, Convection and Extreme Weather; Cloudy PBL; and Surface and PBL interaction. A future AURORA Pathfinder flight demonstration will be a first demonstration of improved retrieval performance over the current POR to address these expected science goals.
In this vein, AURORA Pathfinder will demonstrate mature technology readiness level for a future Planetary Boundary Layer mission. Findings from WHyMSIE and AURORA will also inform the NOAA NEON program.
The Planetary Boundary Layer is where we as human beings live, experience the weather and the changing climate. AURORA Pathfinder’s long-term impact includes improved environmental monitoring, enhanced weather forecasting, and a deeper understanding of climate dynamics. In this respect, AURORA Pathfinder will ultimately contribute to the advancement of Earth science and the well-being of society.
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