The TROPOMI instrument: first H/W results

The Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument, TROPOMI, is a passive UV-VIS-NIR-SWIR spectrograph, which uses sun backscattered radiation to study the Earth's atmosphere and to monitor air quality, on both global and local scale. It follows in the line of SCIAMACHY (2002) and OMI (2004), both of which have been very successful. OMI is still operational. TROPOMI is scheduled for launch in 2015. Compared with its predecessors, TROPOMI will take a major step forward in spatial resolution and sensitivity. The nominal observations are at 7 x 7 km2 at nadir and the signal-tonoises are sufficient for trace gas retrieval even at very low albedos (2 to 5%). This allows observations of air quality at sub-city level. TROPOMI has reached CDR status and production of flight model units has started. Flight detectors have been produced and detector electronics is expected to be finished by mid-2013. The instrument control unit is undergoing extensive tests, to ensure full instrument functionality. Early results are promising and this paper discusses these H/W results, as well as some challenges encountered during the development of the instrument. © 2013 SPIE