SOVAP/Picard, a spaceborne radiometer to measure the Total Solar Irradiance

Mustapha Meftah (1) , Steven Dewitte (2) , Abdanour Irbah (1) , Andre Chevalier (2) , Christian Conscience (2) , Dominique Crommelynck (2) , E. Janssen (2) , S. Mekaoui (2)

1 STRATO - LATMOS
2 IRM - Institut Royal Météorologique de Belgique [Bruxelles] - Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium

The Picard spacecraft was successfully launched on June 15, 2010, into a Sun synchronous orbit. The mission represents one of the European contributions to solar observations and Essential Climate Variables (ECVs) measurements. The payload is composed of a Solar Diameter Imager and Surface Mapper (SODISM) and two radiometers: SOlar VAriability Picard (SOVAP) and PREcision MOnitor Sensor (PREMOS). SOVAP, a dual side-by-side cavity radiometer, measures the total solar irradiance (TSI). It is the sixth of a series of differential absolute radiometer type instruments developed and operated in space by the Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium. The measurements of SOVAP in the summer of 2010, yielded a TSI value of 1362.1 W.m⁻² with an uncertainty of ±2.4W.m⁻² (k=1). During the periods of November 2010 and January 2013, the amplitude of the changes in TSI has been of the order of 0.18%, corresponding to a range of about 2.4W.m⁻².

Mots clés: Instrumentation and Data Management; Instrumental Effects; Solar Cycle Observations; Solar Irradiance

Domaines: Climatologie; Milieux et Changements globaux; Astrophysique stellaire et solaire [astro-ph.SR]; Astrophysique stellaire et solaire [astro-ph.SR]

Mustapha Meftah, Steven Dewitte, Abdanour Irbah, Andre Chevalier, Christian Conscience, et al.. SOVAP/Picard, a spaceborne radiometer to measure the Total Solar Irradiance. Solar Physics, 2014, 289 (5), pp.1885-1899. ⟨10.1007/s11207-013-0443-0⟩. ⟨hal-00876178⟩