Technology evolution of the Tropomi instrument

TROPOMI is the sun backscatter trace gas instrument on ESA's Sentinel-5 precursor satellite. TROPOMI builds upon a rich heritage from similar instruments, the main ones being SCIAMACHY on ESA's ENVISAT and OMI on NASA's AURA satellite. This paper explains how the technology from the heritage instruments evolved, considering high level design aspects such as geometry for Earth and sun viewing, polarization treatment, spectral calibration and whisk- or push-broom concept and leading to the TROPOMI concept. Netherlands parties have played and continue to play an important role in the relevant instruments. TROPOMI is the single payload on the Sentinel-5 precursor mission. The launch in 2015 is meant to bridge the data gap between OMI and SCIAMACHY and the upcoming Sentinel 5 mission. The instrument is funded jointly by the Netherlands Space Office and by ESA1. Dutch Space acts as overall instrument prime