Speaker
Dr
Luc Dame
(LATMOS)
Description
We present the SUITS/SWUSV microsatellite mission investigation: "Solar Ultraviolet Influence
on Troposphere/Stratosphere, a Space Weather & Ultraviolet Solar Variability" mission.
SUITS/SWUSV was developed to determine the origins of the Sun’s activity, understand the flaring
process (high energy flare characterization) and onset of CMEs (forecasting). Another major
objective is to determine the dynamics and coupling of Earth’s atmosphere and its response to solar
variability (in particular UV) and terrestrial inputs. It therefore includes the prediction and detection
of major eruptions and coronal mass ejections (Lyman-Alpha and Herzberg continuum imaging)
and the solar forcing on the climate through radiation and their interactions with the local
stratosphere (UV spectral irradiance measures from 170 to 400 nm). The mission is on a sunsynchronous
polar orbit 18h-6h (for almost constant observing) and proposes a 7 instruments model
payload of 65 kg - 65 W with: SUAVE (Solar Ultraviolet Advanced Variability Experiment), an
optimized telescope for FUV (Lyman-Alpha) and MUV (200–220 nm Herzberg continuum)
imaging (sources of variability); SOLSIM (Solar Spectral Irradiance Monitor), a spectrometer with
0.65 nm spectral resolution from 170 to 340 nm; SUPR (Solar Ultraviolet Passband Radiometers),
with UV filter radiometers at Lyman-Alpha, Herzberg, MgII index, CN bandhead and UV bands
coverage up to 400 nm; HEBS (High Energy Burst Spectrometers), a large energy coverage (a few
tens of keV to a few hundreds of MeV) instrument to characterize large flares; EPT-HET (Electron-
Proton Telescope – High Energy Telescope), measuring electrons, protons, and heavy ions over a
large energy range; ERBO (Earth Radiative Budget and Ozone) NADIR oriented; and a vector
magnetometer. Complete accommodation of the payload has been performed on a PROBA type
platform very nicely. Heritage is important both for instruments (SODISM and PREMOS on
PICARD, LYRA on PROBA-2, SOLSPEC on ISS, …) and platform (PROBA-2, PROBA-V, ...),
leading to high TRL levels (>7). SUITS/SWUSV was designed in view of the ESA/CAS AO for a
Small Mission; it could now be envisaged for a joint opportunity CNES/NASA (Heliophysics
Explorer Mission of Opportunity?) between Europeans and Americans partners for a possible flight
in 2021-2022 or proposed, in an enhanced version, for the future ESA M5 mission.
Primary author
Dr
Luc Dame
(LATMOS)
Co-author
Dr
Alain Hauchecorne
(CNRS-LATMOS)
