[P-CG20] Future missions and instrumentation for space and planetary science

[PCG20-08] Small UV instruments for small space missions

★Invited Papers

*Kazuo Yoshioka¹, Yusei Mitoh¹, Ichiro Yoshikawa¹, Masaki Kuwabara², Makoto Taguchi², Shingo Kameda², Yudai Suzuki³, Go Murakami³ (1.The University of Tokyo, 2.Rikkyo University, 3.ISAS/JAXA)

Keywords:CubeSat, UV, Imager, Spectrometer

UV imagers and spectrometers are powerful tools for observing planetary plasmas and atmospheres. They can reveal the spatial distribution of atoms and plasmas surrounding planets or small bodies including comets. Additionally, they can determine their temperature and composition using spectral information. Meanwhile, an increasing number of small and ultra-small spacecraft are being developed by both agencies and private companies. As a result, the possibility of deploying these instruments in deep space is growing. Therefore, developing compact and robust UV instruments is crucial.
This presentation will introduce the fundamental techniques used for UV instruments, especially for small space missions like CubeSat. As examples, we will present the small UV imager named PHOENIX, which was launched aboard NASA’s SLS-1 mission in 2022 and observed Earth’s plasmasphere using EUV (30.4 nm) emission line from helium ion, and Hydrogen Imager, which will be onboard one of the probes for ESA’s Comet Interceptor mission which is planned to be launched in 2029 and aiming for observing the Lyman-alpha (121.6 nm) from coma of pristine comet.