| Instrument | Agency | Missions | Status | Type | Measurements &
applications | Technical characteristics |
ARGUS 2000
ARGUS 2000 | Khalifa University (UAE SA) (American University of Ras Al Khaimah) | Current: MeznSat
Future: -
Complete: - | Operational | Earth radiation budget radiometers | ARGUS 2000 can be utilized to map the spatial variation of greenhouse gases. Measurement interpretation requires spacecraft attitude information for an accurate geolocation of the spectrometer surface pixel, application of a radiative transfer retrieval algorithm and knowledge of surface cloud conditions and topography. Utilizing a near nadir-pointing configuration, the spectrometer can record infrared radiation emitted from the Earth's surface and atmosphere to space. |
| Waveband: | 1000 nm – 1650 nm range
SWIR |
| Spatial resolution: | InGaAs detector 1000nm - 1650nm infrared range, 6nm spectral resolution.
Best resolution: 1.57 m |
| Swath width: | The full-width-half-maximum is estimated at 0.15 degrees. At a typical LEO orbital height of 600km, this corresponds to a surface tile of length 1.57km. It is a single pixel detector. |
| Accuracy: | Due to alignment difficulties and variation between test lamps and solar insolation, results are only accurate to approximately 10%. |
| Data Access: | Constrained Access |
| Data Format: | |
|
BBR (EarthCARE)
BroadBand Radiometer (EarthCARE) | ESA | Current: EarthCARE
Future: -
Complete: - | Operational | Earth radiation budget radiometers | Top of the atmosphere radiances and radiative flux. |
| Waveband: | Shortwave channel: 0.2 - 4 µm, Total channel 0.2 - 50 µm
UV, VIS, NIR, SWIR, MWIR, TIR, FIR |
| Spatial resolution: | 10 x 10 km ground pixel size for each of the three views |
| Swath width: | |
| Accuracy: | flux retrieval accuracy 10 Wm-2 |
| Data Access: | Open Access |
| Data Format: | HDF5 |
|
CERES
Cloud and the Earth's Radiant Energy System | NASA | Current: Suomi NPP, NOAA-20, Terra, Aqua | Operational | Earth radiation budget radiometers | Long term measurement of the Earth's radiation budget and atmospheric radiation from the top of the atmosphere to the surface; provision of an accurate and self-consistent cloud and radiation database. |
| Waveband: | 3 channels: 0.3-5 µm, 0.3 - 100 µm, 8 - 12 µm
UV, VIS, NIR, SWIR, MWIR, TIR, FIR |
| Spatial resolution: | 20 km
Best resolution: 20000 m |
| Swath width: | |
| Accuracy: | 0.5%, 1%, 0.3% (respectively for the 3 channels) |
| Data Access: | Open Access |
| Data Format: | HDF5 and NetCDF |
|
CLARA
Compact Lightweight Absolute Radiometer | NOSA | Current: NORSAT-1
Future: -
Complete: - | Operational | Earth radiation budget radiometers | CLARA is a scientific instrument that will be used to determine the total solar irradiance of the Sun. |
| Waveband: | |
| Spatial resolution: | |
| Swath width: | |
| Accuracy: | |
| Data Access: | Constrained Access |
| Data Format: | |
|
CSAR
Cryogenic Solar Absolute Radiometer | ESA (UKSA) | Current: -
Future: TRUTHS
Complete: - | Being developed | Earth radiation budget radiometers | Primary Standard for Solar radiation, traceable to SI units, provide very high accuracy (goal 0.03% ARA) TSI (Total Solar Irradiance) measurements |
| Waveband: | Solar Spectrum integrated from 0.2 to 30 mm
UV, VIS, NIR, SWIR, MWIR, TIR |
| Spatial resolution: | |
| Swath width: | |
| Accuracy: | ARA goal 0.03% |
| Data Access: | Open Access |
| Data Format: | |
|
ERM-2
Earth Radiation Measurement-2 | NSMC-CMA (CNSA) | Current: FY-3F
Future: -
Complete: - | Operational | Earth radiation budget radiometers | Measures Earth radiation gains and losses on regional, zonal and global scales. |
| Waveband: |
UV, VIS, NIR, SWIR, MWIR, TIR, FIR |
| Spatial resolution: | FoV 2 x 2 deg |
| Swath width: | |
| Accuracy: | 0.2~0.3 Wm-2Sr-1 |
| Data Access: | Open Access |
| Data Format: | L-1 data: HDF 5.0 |
|
GERB
Geostationary Earth Radiation Budget | EUMETSAT (RAL) (ESA) | Current: Meteosat-9, Meteosat-10, Meteosat-11
Future: -
Complete: Meteosat-8 | Operational | Earth radiation budget radiometers | Measures long and short wave radiation emitted and reflected from the Earth's surface, clouds and top of atmosphere. Full Earth disk, all channels in 5 minutes. |
| Waveband: | SW: 0.32 - 4.0 µm, LW 4.0 - 30 µm (by subtraction)
UV, VIS, NIR, SWIR, MWIR, TIR, FIR |
| Spatial resolution: | 44.6 x 39.3 km |
| Swath width: | Single column moved alternately W-E and E-W to cover the complete earth disc |
| Accuracy: | SW=1.2 Wm-2, LW=7.5 Wm-2 |
| Data Access: | Open Access |
| Data Format: | native, HDF |
|
Libera
Libera | NASA | Current: -
Future: JPSS-4
Complete: - | Being developed | Earth radiation budget radiometers | 5-year design mission. The mission focuses on understanding the flow of energy out of the planet and how it changes over time. |
| Waveband: | Libera will measure solar radiation with wavelengths between 0.3 and 5 microns reflected by the Earth system and infrared radiation with wavelengths between 5 and 50 microns emitted from the Earth system as it exits the top of the atmosphere. The sensor will also measure the total radiation leaving the Earth system at all wavelengths from 0.3 to 100 microns. An innovative additional “split shortwave” channel measuring radiation between 0.7 and 5 microns has been added to enable new Earth radiation budget science.
UV, VIS, NIR, SWIR, MWIR, TIR, FIR |
| Spatial resolution: | |
| Swath width: | |
| Accuracy: | |
| Data Access: | |
| Data Format: | |
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NISTAR
NIST Advanced Radiometer | NASA (NOAA) | Current: DSCOVR
Future: -
Complete: - | Operational | Earth radiation budget radiometers | Measure the energy emitted and reflected by the Earth. |
| Waveband: | 0.2 - 100 µm in 4 channels
UV, VIS, NIR, SWIR, MWIR, TIR, FIR |
| Spatial resolution: | |
| Swath width: | |
| Accuracy: | 0.1% accuracy; 0.03% precision |
| Data Access: | Open Access |
| Data Format: | HDF-5 |
|
SIM-2
Solar Irradiance Monitor-2 | NSMC-CMA (CNSA) | Current: FY-3E, FY-3F
Future: -
Complete: FY-3C | Operational | Earth radiation budget radiometers | Solar irradiance monitoring. |
| Waveband: | 0.2 - 50 µm
UV, VIS, NIR, SWIR, MWIR, TIR, FIR |
| Spatial resolution: | |
| Swath width: | |
| Accuracy: | absolute accuracy 0.1 % |
| Data Access: | Open Access |
| Data Format: | L-1 data: HDF 5.0 |
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