VIAVI Solutions revealed how it will be helping NASA with the Europa Clipper mission. VIAVI provided a precision order sorting filter for the Mapping Imaging Spectrometer for Europa (MISE) on the Europa Clipper spacecraft, utilizing its decades of experience as a leader in precision thin film optical coatings for mission-critical space applications.
MISE is an essential satellite instrument that maps the distribution of organics, salts, acid hydrates, and water ice phases to assess the surface composition of Jupiter’s moon Europa and assess the habitability of its subsurface ocean. With the aid of VIAVI’s precision order sorting filter, MISE can record high-resolution spectral data in the infrared region of 0.8 to 5 micrometers, ensuring excellent performance.
The filter combines three essential features: a Linear Variable Filter (LVF), bandpass filters with photolithographic patterns, and both optics put together as a Butcher Block.
In order to create the unique precision order sorting filter, VIAVI and NASA worked together to address several technical issues, including the co-planarity of the assembled optic, the slope of the wavelength progression, the location of the LVF center wavelengths in relation to the alignment fiducials, and a difficult radiation environment.
On October 14, 2024, the Europa Clipper mission was launched. In order to do in-depth reconnaissance of the moon, it will fly around Europa 49 times after starting its orbit around Jupiter in April 2030. The information gathered by Mapping Imaging Spectrometer for Europa and other equipment will be crucial in determining whether or not life can exist on the moon.
Key Comments
“We are honored to support NASA’s mission to explore one of the most intriguing moons in our solar system,” said Luke Scrivanich, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Optical Security and Performance, VIAVI. “Our team’s dedication to precision engineering has allowed us to meet the stringent requirements necessary for space exploration instruments like MISE.”
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