All deep space exploration probes communicate using radio signals to large-aperture antennas such as NASA’s Deep Space Network. The received frequency at the Earth-based antenna is affected by the Doppler shift, a consequence of the relative motion between the spacecraft and the receiving antenna. Because the primary force driving the motion of the spacecraft is due to gravitation, one can perform radiometric tracking on the received signals and use the measured Doppler shift to calculate the mass and gravitational field of celestial objects. The radio signal is also modified by propagation effects, for which one can also take advantage of to measure planetary atmospheres, ionospheres, and magnetospheric plasma features. In planetary science, this is referred to as the discipline of radio science. One of the primary objectives of the Juno mission, in orbit around Jupiter since 2016, is to precisely measure the gravity field of Jupiter using this technique; and although not originally intended or designed to do so, the radio science team has adapted the radio system to also make precise measurements of the atmosphere and ionosphere of Jupiter and it’s moons, along with measuring plasma properties of magnetospheric features on Jupiter such as the Io Plasma Torus and the Io Alfven wings. This work aims to discuss the many uses of radio Doppler data in the context of the Juno mission and how Juno adapted the radio system – designed for radio communications, navigation and gravity measurements – into a complete radio science investigation.
How to cite: Buccino, D., Parisi, M., and Park, R.: Defying Gravity: The Many Uses of Radio Doppler Data for Planetary Science, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-12532, 2026.
How to cite: Costello, E., Ghent, R., Gorham, P., Bramson, A., and Romero-Wolf, A.: The Music of Cosmic Rays: Askaryan Effect as a Novel Planetary Geophysical Sensing Technique, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-1963, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-1963, 2026.
The planetary boundary layer, the layer of the atmosphere which is adjacent to and directly influenced by the surface, is an important region of study due not only to its interactions with the planetary surface but also on its influence on the atmosphere as a whole. We aim to create a low-powered, relatively inexpensive instrument to probe aerosol properties in this area. In this work, we examine the utility of low-powered lasers in combination with an all-sky camera to infer properties of near-surface aerosols in planetary atmospheres.
Our preliminary setup consists of three class 3R continuous lasers (wavelengths 450, 520 and 635 nm) with a 180° field of view camera, tested under both laboratory and field conditions. Aerosol properties such as the single scattering phase function can be inferred from imaged laser backscatter.
In the laboratory, we suspend microspheres of three known sizes (3, 20 and 90 μm) and known concentration in a 160 L aquarium. Each laser beam is reflected several times through the aquarium by mounted mirrors, increasing the path length of the laser. We are able to see the extinction of the laser beam as well as the scattering phase function. We also compare the laser behaviour with a mie scattering model to examine how differing microsphere radii impact these properties. From this we see that at the smaller particle sizes, the phase functions at the different wavelengths tend to diverge more, whereas the phase functions are very similar at each wavelength at a larger particle size where geometric optics tend to take over.
We furthermore analyse images taken in Argentia, Newfoundland, Canada on two nights of heavy fog. We derive the spectral radiance along each laser beam and will use this to determine the optical depth and liquid water content of the fog in a method similar to that used with the Phoenix Lander lidar and Stereo Surface Imager (Moores et al., 2011).
Finally, by the time of the meeting we aim to extend this work and estimate the minimum laser power required to derive aerosol properties on various planetary bodies. The ability to use low-powered lasers to infer near-surface aerosol properties could be of great interest in the design of future low-cost planetary missions.
E. Moores, L. Komguem, J. A. Whiteway, M. T. Lemmon, C. Dickinson, and F. Daerden. Observations of near-surface fog at the Phoenix Mars landing site. Geophysical Research Letters, 38(4). doi: 10.1029/2010GL046315.
How to cite: Innanen, A., Campbell, C., Kokh Nichol, B., and Moores, J.: Determining Near-Surface Aerosol Properties Using Low Powered Lasers, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-12868, 2026.
We present a novel use of spacecraft navigation sensors to enable accurate formation flight, which in turn enables heretofore unachievable space mission performances.
Accurate spacecraft formations enable missions with accuracies, operations and robustness unachievable by even the largest space platforms. Moreover, since each spacecraft segment of the formation may be of moderate size and complexity, cost and flexibility advantages relative to use of conventional large spacecraft result.
With few exceptions, space mission performance may benefit from a formation flight configuration. However, to release this potential, the individual segments of the formation must be capable of or forming, maintaining, and if needed to reconfigure formations. The actual acquisition of a loose constellation formation may be achieved with GNSS support, after which the accurate formation may be formed using dedicated instrumentation on each space segment.
GNSS support may not be available for many applications, e.g. those outside low Earth orbit, or when independence from GNSS is desired for other reasons. A robust, resilient and accurate formation flight sensor-suite must encompass ways to achieve detection and tracking of all spacecraft of the constellation during formation acquisition, maintenance, reconfiguration and dilution.
The key to realization of these objectives is thus to empower each spacecraft with the knowledge of the position and time of the other segments of the constellation. This task requires two novel uses of space navigation sensors, if to be realistic with respect to volume, mass, power and operations. Where the GNSS-enabled constellations use huge resources on positioning and timing, a constellation of smaller satellites must obtain this information within the constellation.
We present an instrument concept enabling the required local, autonomous, high accuracy position, attitude and timing of a group of satellites, developed for the ESA PROBA3 formation flight coronagraph. This instrument suite is based on optical, navigation type, cameras and multiple access inter-satellite timing units.
The operations and functionality of this instrument suite has been demonstrated and verified by the ASC star trackers onboard the NASA Juno spacecraft, where literally hundreds of thousands of objects were acquired and tracked, and later by similar instruments on other NASA and ESA missions. Close, accurate, formation flight was first realized by the same instruments on the Swedish PRISMA mission. Full performance of the sensor suite was first demonstrated by the instruments on the ESA PROBA3 mission.
We present the achievable range and accuracies of this novel use of space navigation sensors.
How to cite: Jørgensen, J., Benn, M., Jørgensen, P., Connerney, J., and Serrano, D.: High accuracy formation flight beyond GNSS support, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-17165, 2026.
High-precision 3D terrain mapping and navigation are critical for missions exploring small, fast-rotating asteroids, such as the Tianwen-2 mission to 2016 HO3. This study analyzes a hybrid solid-state LiDAR system developed for such missions, which integrates a 32×32 single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) array, dual fast-steering mirrors (FSMs), and a Dammann grating beam splitter. While this multi-stage architecture enables high-resolution scanning, it introduces complex geometric errors and pixel-dependent non-uniformities, particularly under the photon-limited conditions typical of deep-space exploration.
We established a rigorous imaging model that explicitly characterizes the multi-stage optical deflection and the single-photon timing mechanism. A Monte Carlo error propagation analysis was performed to quantify the impact of eleven systematic error sources, identifying FSM angular misalignments and internal timing jitter as the dominant contributors to 3D reconstruction uncertainty. To address the challenges of array non-uniformity and signal-dependent range biases, we propose a robust two-stage calibration framework. Unlike traditional geometric calibration methods, this approach incorporates a photon-count-sensitive range correction strategy. By utilizing photon-count statistics as intermediate variables to model the dependence of range bias on acquisition settings (such as varying emission powers and target reflectance), we implemented a per-pixel correction that mitigates range errors. Building on this range-calibrated data, residual angular errors are then corrected via a Jacobian-based least-squares optimization.
The proposed framework was validated through systematic ground experiments at the Deep Space Integrated Test Site, Tongji University. For pixel-wise range calibration, experiments using planar targets demonstrated that the photon-count-indexed correction significantly suppresses signal-strength-dependent trends, reducing ranging dispersion (3σ) from 2.43 cm to 0.82 cm. For system-level evaluation under asteroid-analogue conditions, we constructed a 12 m × 12 m outdoor terrain model simulating the topographic features of asteroid 2016 HO3. Ground truth was provided by a RIEGL VZ-2000i scanner and a Leica TS30 total station. The validation results demonstrate that the calibrated system achieves a ranging accuracy of approximately 2.86 cm (3σ) in global mapping mode (MODE-A) and maintains stable performance (~3.10 cm, 3σ) in step-scanning navigation mode (MODE-B) over ranges of 34–83 m. This study validates the effectiveness of the proposed modeling and photon-driven calibration methods, providing a reliable workflow for enhancing the performance of array-based single-photon LiDARs in complex deep-space environments.
How to cite: Zhang, Q., Xie, H., Yan, X., Jin, Y., Xi, Y., and Tong, X.: Imaging Modeling and Calibration Framework of a Hybrid Solid-State LiDAR for Small Celestial Body Exploration, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-6154, 2026.
Small ice particles play an important role in atmospheric and extraterrestrial chemistry. Circumplanetary ice particles that are encountered by space probes at hyper velocities play a critical role in the determination of surface and subsurface properties of their source bodies. Here we present an instrument for the generation of low-intensity beams of single mass-selected charged ice particles under vacuum (SELINA). They are produced via electrospray ionization of water at atmospheric pressure and undergo evaporative cooling when transferred to vacuum through an atmospheric vacuum interface. m/z selection is achieved through two subsequent quadrupole mass filters operated in the variable-frequency mode, and post acceleration is achieved by a LINAC. From the known electrostatic acceleration potentials and settings of the quadrupoles the particle masses, charges, and velocities can be accurately controlled. The selected ice nanoparticle accelerator hypervelocity impact mass spectrometer (SELINA-HIMS) features hypervelocity ice grains and enables real analogue experiments in the laboratory. Results will be presented for coupling/testing the ice accelerator with a high-resolution time-of-flight instrument. Ultimately, we present first experiments with a mass detector with a resolution of R=66000 based upon orbitrap technology. All components in combination will enable an ultimate analogue experiment for present and future missions to the ice moons of our solar system.
How to cite: Abel, B., Spesyvyi, A., Zabka, J., and Charvat, A.: A Single ice particle accelerator in combination with a high(est) resolution mass detector: towards an ultimate laboratory analogue experiment for present and future ice moon missions , EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-18271, 2026.
Atmospheric corrections of spectral and image data are important as they are required to remove the effects of the atmosphere to isolate surface composition. Several studies have developed methods to correct for both CO2 and mitigate atmospheric scattering effects arising from time-variable aerosols (e.g. McGuire et al., 2009; Wolff et al., 2009; Doute et al., 2024; Tornabene et al., 2024). While the volcano-scan method is used to atmospherically correct CO2 for Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) observations, it does not address the additive and multiplicative effects from scattering components in the VNIR. CRISM has an excellent spectral resolution, and its data has been ground-truthed by missions like the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers (e.g. Johnson et al., 2017; Fraeman et al., 2020; Horgan et al., 2023). However, its spatial resolution ranges from 18 to 180 m/pixel depending on its observation mode. In our previous studies, we have attempted to ground truth higher spatial resolution color data (25 cm/pixel, 3 color bands) from the High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) and 4-band spectra from the Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System (CaSSIS; 4 m/pixel, 4 bands) with Curiosity data. We found that the relative relationships between HiRISE band ratios of different geologic members were similar to that of Curiosity’s Mastcam (445 nm-1012 nm). However, these findings were not consistent across multiple observations which have different viewing geometries and vary w.r.t. aerosol optical depths, prompting the need for a more robust method that allows for co-analysis of rover- and orbital- based data.
Here we present a new bootstrap atmospheric correction method that relates the reflectance received by rover multispectral cameras (Mastcam and Mastcam-Z) to that of orbital imaging systems. By implementing Mastcam multispectral observations taken at optimal geometries and optical depths (see Lemmon et al. 2024), we can effectively correct CaSSIS observations over Curiosity’s traverse for photometric and atmospheric effects. This method yields CaSSIS spectral data comparable to that of the rover cameras. As expected, higher optical depths increase the contribution from scattered radiance. Moreover, the scattered radiance shows the least significant effects in the BLU filter of CaSSIS, and more in the RED and NIR filters which is in line with findings from Landis & Hyatt (2006). Spectra from uncorrected CaSSIS cubes show similar ferric dust-like shapes regardless of the feature they are extracted from. After correction, there is more spectral variability originating from the surface and a clearer distinction between ferric and ferrous materials. The Bagnold Dunes show olivine-bearing spectra, and there is evidence for hematite-bearing signatures at locations where Curiosity has identified it. The lower Stimson formation is also more distinct. In future work, acquiring more orbital observations of Curiosity’s traverse with different optical depths and geometries could allow for the application of this method beyond rover localities. Preliminary results using our atmospheric model allows for consistent comparison between CaSSIS and rover spectral data. In turn, this could allow for quantitative extension of geologic members defined by the rovers, their enhanced context, and thus better constraints on their paleoenvironments.
How to cite: Eng, A., Rivera-Hernández, F., Thomas, N., Tornabene, L., Valantinas, A., and Wray, J.: Using Mastcam Multispectral Data from Curiosity to Correct Orbital Observations of Gale Crater, Mars, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-13312, 2026.
JunoCam, the wide-angle visible light imager of NASA's Juno mission to Jupiter delivers excellent close-up images of Jupiter's cloud tops. Juno's mission on its elliptical, and precessing polar orbit was initially anticipated to end before crossing Europa's orbit. Any data taken from the Europa flyby onwards has come from a mission extension with opportunistic and serendipitous observations. Besides unprecedented close-up views of Jupiter's north polar region in the visible light spectrum, JunoCam was able to take close-up image sequences of Io, including specular reflection from the glassy surface of some of its calderas. A very subtle streak of light through Io observed after a violent eruption of one of its volcanoes suggests the demand for follow-up observations by other instruments such as JWST, in order to find out whether this is simply an instrument artefact, or whether we see Io inducing an arc of material escaping its Hill sphere with possible implications for a steady supply of material to Europa. While JunoCam was intended to take close-up images of Jupiter's dayside, it transitioned to taking close-up images of Jupiter's night side. Due to JunoCam's design using time-delayed integration, it can take sharp images despite the camera being statically attached to the rotating spacecraft. This technology, together with thorough image cleaning, was successfully applied to capture lightning and an auroral arc. Juno's precessing polar orbit brings the spacecraft closer to Jupiter's most intense radiation belt. Charged particles, mostly energetic electrons, cause visible energetic particle hits on the CCD, and they degrade the detector. While this creates challenges for processing pretty images, and even for instrument health, it can also be used to retrieve qualitative data on charged particle flux and total dose.
How to cite: Eichstädt, G., Rogers, J., Becker, H., Orton, G., Ermakov, A., Ravine, M., Hansen, C., and Bolton, S.: JunoCam Out Of The Box, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-8937, 2026.
In 2025, JAXA/ISAS selected "OPENS-0" (Outer Planet Exploration by Novel and Small Spacecraft-Zero), which aims to demonstrate key enabling technologies for a single, small spacecraft to conduct outer planet exploration, as the first mission for its newly-created "Eco and Fast" small-class category. While the 100-kg-class OPENS-0 spacecraft has severe limitations in both resources and operational capabilities, unlike legacy outer plane missions, its lighter mass and smaller size can be advantages for power and thermal management, as well as delta-V requirements. Although the spacecraft design cannot enjoy abundant resources for dedicated scientific payloads, the OPENS-0 maximizes its scientific outputs, during 10+ years of the interplanetary cruising and multiple flyby occasions, with several "multi-purpose" instruments such as (1) the optical navigation telescopic and wide-field cameras to observe the "Pale Blue Dot" as a reference of Earth-like exoplanets, zodiacal light variation through the Main Asteroid Belt, extragalactic background light in the outer planet region, main belt asteroid morphology; (2) the ultra-stable oscillator and deep space transponder for radio occultation of the solar flare, and the planetary atmospheres of Venus and Saturn; and (3) the PVDF-layered MLI for interplanetary micrometeoroid flux at 1-10 AU heliocentric distance. Once the spacecraft eventually arrives in the vicinity of Saturn at the finale of the mission, all three instruments will be coordinated for integrated sciences focused on Saturn's ring structures, ranging from the retrograde satellite dust torus to the E-ring region, as well as the main rings and gaps, in complementary spatial resolutions among them.
How to cite: Yano, H., Imamura, T., Matsuura, S., Sakatani, N., Ando, H., Arai, K., Kawahara, H., Ozaki, N., Shibaike, Y., Tokunaga, K., Tomiki, A., and Funase, R.: Cruising and Flyby Sciences with Multi-Purpose Instruments onboard Japan's First Outer Planet Exploration Spacecraft "OPENS-0", EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-17424, 2026.
Life-environmentology, Astronomy, and PlanetarY Ultraviolet Telescope Assembly (LAPYUTA) is a future ultraviolet (UV) space telescope that is selected as a candidate for JAXA's 6th M-class mission. Launch is planned for the early 2030s. LAPYUTA will perform spectroscopic and imaging observations in the far-ultraviolet spectral range (110-190 nm) with a large effective area (>300 cm2) and a high spatial resolution (0.1 arcsec). LAPYUTA has the following four objectives: (1) atmospheres of solar system planets, (2) atmospheres of exoplanets around the habitable zone, (3) structures of present-day galaxies, and (4) synthesis process of heavy elements from observations of neutron star mergers. The key to addressing these scientific goals is the measurement of the physical state of hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon. These elements are common in the universe and are involved in understanding the structure and evolution of the universe at various spatial scales, from planets to stars to galaxies, and UV spectral measurement is adequate for measuring the physical state of the elements. LAPYUTA aims to achieve resolution and sensitivity in the far-UV wavelength range comparable to the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) while using JAXA’s small scientific satellite. The mission part consists of a Cassegrain telescope with a 60 cm aperture primary mirror, four focal plane instruments, a medium dispersion spectrograph (MRS), a high dispersion spectrograph (HRS), a UV slit imager (UVSI), and a wide-field fine guide sensor (FGS). To achieve a highly effective area and high angular resolution, we are developing three key technologies: UV mirror deposition, a large high-precision detector, and a pointing disturbance correction function, as well as studying the concept of the telescope structure. The key technologies for ultraviolet observations developed here will serve as a stepping stone for Japan's participation in the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO).
How to cite: Tsuchiya, F., Murakami, G., Yamazaki, A., and Kameda, S.: Future ultraviolet space telescope mission LAPYUTA, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-21086, 2026.
The idea that Earth’s Moon may host substantial reserves of water ice buried beneath layers of regolith in the polar permanently shadowed regions (PSR) has excited much interest over the past decade. Here, we present numerical modeling in support of a new instrument concept for exploration of the Moon’s PSR: the Cosmic Ray Lunar Sounder, or CoRaLS, under development via a NASA DALI (Development and Advancement of Lunar Instrumentation) grant. CoRaLS is a passive radio-frequency (RF) receiver, tuned to receive direct and reflected radio signals from the subsurface of the Moon. These signals are created via the Askaryan effect, in which high-energy cosmic rays incident on the lunar regolith collide with atomic nuclei and initiate relativistic cascades of charged particles. These particle showers in turn create coherent, linearly-polarized, wideband radio pulses that propagate along the shower path, faster than the phase velocity of light in the regolith, in a Cherenkov cone. These signals can reflect from subsurface interfaces, or scatter from buried objects, thus providing an opportunity to probe the subsurface from orbit. Because this radiation originates from within the regolith, using a passive sensor to detect reflected signals mitigates the effect of strong spurious off-nadir reflections that plague traditional active-source RF systems. We posit that if deposits of relatively pure water ice reside within the upper ~10 m of the lunar surface in PSR, a CoRaLS-style instrument would be uniquely equipped to find it.
Radio pulses generated by the Askaryan effect have been observed in Earth’s atmosphere, in terrestrial glaciers, and in salt deposits in the laboratory. They have also been predicted, and should be expected, to develop in the lunar regolith. Our work to date represents the first systematic investigation of the use of this well-established phenomenon in exploration of the lunar regolith, and in particular, prospecting for deeply buried ice in the lunar polar regions.
In this presentation, we show the results of a series of 3D finite-difference time domain (FDTD) numerical simulations of the electric field generated by Askaryan-induced radiation from cosmic ray showers in the lunar regolith. Our simulation volumes consist of layered regolith with an embedded pure ice layer at 6 m depth. We vary the thickness of the ice layer and explore the strength and nature of the electric field from direct and reflected Askaryan pulses as observed at a range of positions both on the surface and at a range of angles and elevations above the surface. We find that in these simulations, we can detect reflections from pure ice layers as thin as 10 cm. For thicker layers, we observe distinct reflections, with opposite polarity, from the upper and lower surfaces of the ice layer, that are stronger than and distinguishable from the direct signals. These simulations inform our ongoing work to calculate likely event detection rates for a variety of mission architecture scenarios, as we continue to develop the CoRaLS concept.
How to cite: Ghent, R., Costello, E., Romero-Wolf, A., Gorham, P., Tai Udovicic, C., and Linton, P.: A Novel Approach to Lunar Subsurface Exploration: the Cosmic Ray Lunar Sounder (CoRaLs), EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-1964, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-1964, 2026.
Hydration on the Moon’s surface is widely detected in orbital datasets (e.g. M3 on Chandrayan-1), yet its abundance and physical form (-OH, H2O, frost, and/or ice) remain poorly constrained. The lunar surface is covered in regolith fines, which impacts local thermophysical conditions, obscures underlying volatiles and modifies detectable hydration bands. Our interpretation of hydration form and abundance on the lunar surface is further limited by existing experimental constraints of water-ice spectral behaviour at the regolith interface (photometric effects) and by the restriction of current orbital datasets to the near-infrared (< ~3 µm O–H stretching mode). We are developing a laboratory approach to quantify how dust layering, regolith maturity, grain size, composition, and ice abundance control the spectral expression of water-ice across the near- and mid-infrared (1.8–20 µm), with emphasis on the ~3 and 6 µm diagnostic regions. This poster presents a preliminary experimental set-up developed ahead of the full operation of a custom-built vacuum chamber, Polar Analogue of Dust Overlying Regolith–Ice (PANDOR-I), intended to simulate airless-body and cryogenic polar conditions. In this initial laboratory set-up, the sample compartment of a Bruker 70V Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrometer is isolated using potassium bromide (KBr) windows to enable controlled, low-pressure (~0.2 mbar) reflectance measurements of anhydrous and hydrated analogue configurations to (i) characterise the spectral expression of hydration-related structure in the ~3 and 6 µm regions under regolith simulant fines, and (ii) provide benchmark spectra for direct comparison with a Mie–Hapke forward model (band shape,depth, and mixing trends) prior to cryogenic and airless body simulations with PANDOR-I. This preliminary work will establish an empirical reference for model validation and for designing the subsequent PANDOR-I cryogenic experiments, enabling a more robust interpretation of spectrally mixed hydration signatures in forthcoming lunar datasets.
How to cite: Henderson, F., Bowles, N., Shirley, K., Habib, N., and Eshbaugh, H.: PANDOR-I: Preliminary vacuum chamber experimental set-up of dust layering, ice-regolith lunar analogues in reflectance (1.8 – 20 µm), EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-12755, 2026.
Providing solar wind parameters is critical to understanding the physical processes related to space weather and their impacts at Earth and other planets. CubeSats are now capable and flexible platforms that can be configured for a wide range of science mission profiles, either as a standalone platform, as a daughter spacecraft, or in swarms and constellations. A Miniature Solar WInd Sensor (MSWIS) is an extremely compact, low-power, and high-performance solar wind analyzer to measure ion velocity distribution functions (VDFs) and determine bulk solar wind moments with accuracies comparable to state-of-the-art solar-wind sensors with minimal resources (1 U, 1.5 kg, 4.7 W).
The novel MSWIS design gives an energy per charge range of 100 eV/q to >10 keV/q with 5% resolution. The sensor total field of view covers 44° x 44° with 132, 4° x 4° sensor segments. Each segment points to different arrival directions, and MSWIS can instantaneously image the 2D (elevation x azimuth) distributions. Energy scan by sweeping a single internal electrode completes the 3D VDFs.
In this presentation, we discuss the sensor concept, the proof-of-concept model of MSWIS with laboratory verification study results, and the sensor packaging efforts to achieve the goal of 1U size. A compact and versatile solar wind sensor like MSWIS is very attractive for many future Heliophysics or Planetary missions, particularly for nanosatellite/multi-satellite platforms. Such instruments are also attractive for space weather, for inputs to modeling the space environment variability all around the Solar System and understanding the interactions of the solar wind and/or the magnetospheric environments in which they are embedded.
How to cite: Ogasawara, K. and Schiferl, C.: A Miniature Solar WInd Sensor (MSWIS) for future low-cost, constellation, and deep-space missions, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-13778, 2026.
Mars Ion and Neutral Mass and Energy Analyzer (M-INEA) is an instrument selected for the mission M-MATISSE (PI: B. Sanchez-Cano, University of Leicester, UK) proposed in the frame of the ESA M7 call and, at present, in a competitive phase A (2024-2026). M-MATISSE is a project with two spacecrafts around Mars dedicated to the characterization of Mars’ environment from its induced magnetosphere down to its lower atmosphere combining in situ with remote observations. One of the goals of M-MATISSE will be to characterize the composition, density, wind and temperature in the upper thermosphere/ionosphere of Mars, as well as its atmospheric escaping rate. A two points measurements strategy will allow M-MATISSE to distinguish between time and spatial variabilities and to follow solar events encountering Mars from the solar wind down to Mars’ surface.
M-INEA is an instrument developed and tested at LATMOS. It is part of the M-MATISSE payload and is dedicated to the measurement of the density, composition, wind and temperature of the Martian thermosphere and to the measurement of the atmospheric escape and its dependence on the solar conditions. The main target of M-INEA is to measure the energy distribution function (density, temperature and drift velocity along the axis of sight of the instrument). The instrument is based on an original electrostatic design specially designed to achieve an energy resolution better than 0.3 eV over an energy range of 0-20 eV, as well as a temperature resolution better than 50 K and mass resolution of the order of 20. Such performances are also possible thanks to the use of an original ion source using carbon nano-tubes for the emission of electrons.
The mechanical and electronic designs of the instrument are being done as well as first tests demonstrating M-INEA's performances and a end-to-end simulation of M-INEA operation in Mars’ exosphere.
How to cite: piney, A., leblanc, F., berthelier, J., and steichen, V.: Ion and Neutral Energy and Mass Analyzer for M-MATISSE, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-8, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-8, 2026.
Our current knowledge of the Saturnian moons is based in great part on measurements from the Cassini-Huygens mission; however, to this day, there are still outstanding questions regarding their habitability and prebiotic chemistry. In order to close these gaps, ESA’s next large-class mission (L4) has set its target on Enceladus. This mission will aim to characterise the chemically complex environment of Enceladus’ surface, plumes and exosphere, and their interaction with the external environment, such as Saturn’s magnetosphere and particles from the E-ring. In order to address these objectives, the inclusion of an ion mass spectrometer with increased mass resolving power would allow to determine the inventory of organic molecules in the atmosphere and, furthermore, determine if there’s organic synthesis proceeding within Enceladus.
The Cosmic Dust Analyser (CDA) and the Ion and Neutral Mass Spectrometer (INMS) from the Cassini-Huygens mission reported indirect evidence for the presence of complex organic molecules and bioessential compounds in Enceladus’ plume. These instruments relied on ionisation techniques that fragment molecules, which complicated the molecule identification from the mass spectra reconstruction. Carbon-foils usually used in ion mass spectrometers also induce fragmentation of molecules. To avoid physical impact and potentially provide direct measurement of complex molecules, we propose to pursue modulated Time-of-Flight (TOF) ion mass spectrometer technique, such as the Hadamard gating used by the Planetary Ion CAMera (PICAM) onboard the BepiColombo mission. In this poster, we report the progress on our Combined Hybrid Ion Mass Energy Resolver for Astrobiology (CHIMERA) instrument concept, an all-sky ion composition detector based on the heritage from PICAM. We present the design and performance requirements necessary for this instrument along with the preliminary ion optics configuration.
How to cite: Maynard Hernandez, G., Giono, G., Varsani, A., Laky, G., and Helling, C.: Towards an all-sky ion composition detector for the Saturnian system, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-18247, 2026.
The JUpiter ICy moons Explorer (JUICE) mission carries a suite of scientific instruments designed to investigate the Jovian system. Among them, the Neutral and Ion Mass spectrometer (NIM) is dedicated to measuring the composition of neutral and ionized particles in the spacecraft environment. NIM operates by applying a set of predefined voltages to its internal components to ionize, guide and analyse incoming particles. In nominal operation, this configuration consists of 22 voltage values, defined in a voltage set. The 19 voltages applied in the ion source and ion optics must be optimized to achieve the physically attainable sensitivity and mass resolution of the instrument. Subsequent steps involve adjustments to regulate molecular fragmentation effects induced by electron impact ionization within the ion source and to administer operational trade-offs between instrument performance and instrument lifetime. Therefore, some of these voltage optima vary from one instrument start-up to another, while others are primarily temperature or other environmental variables dependent. Still others are only dependent on the operational strategy or remain largely unchanged. Furthermore, variations as a function of the instrument operating hours must be expected. We investigate how sensitive signal intensity and mass resolution respond to variations of selected voltages. Based on these observations, conclusions are drawn to configure the implemented NIM Adaptive Particle Swarm Optimizer (APSO), which is used to optimize the instrument voltage configuration, automatically in flight, in a time-efficient and case-specific manner. Three scenarios are considered: a complete loss of signal with no valid voltage set available, the presence of preliminary knowledge of a usable voltage set with the intention to further explore the APSO search space, and rapid fine-tuning of an already well-performing voltage set. The tuneable parameters of the NIM APSO include the initial cognitive and social acceleration coefficients, as well as parameters to control their evolution, the global limitation of the evolutionary velocity, the choice of the generation to particle ratio, and the selected elitist learning strategy. The influence of tuning individual factors is examined, and the total time efficiency increase of APSO optimization is quantified.
How to cite: Wyler, S., Galli, A., Vorburger, A., and Wurz, P.: APSO Tuning for Time-Efficient NIM Mass Spectrometer Optimisation Aboard the JUICE Spacecraft, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-6749, 2026.
Conventional ion mass spectrometers, often measure the Time-of-Flight (ToF) of a particle using a single input pulse. Subsequently, the mass-per-charge of each particle can be retrieved, knowing their energy and the instrument properties. However, the duty cycle for this method is known to be effectively very short, leading to the loss of ion counts; in particular in low density space environments.
To tackle the issue, instead of a single pulse, multiple distinguishable signals are sought to be accumulated and increase the ion counts. Hadamard modulation, is a technique of such, which was used for the first time in space in BepiColombo mission. It successfully increased the duty-cycle of SERENA-PICAM sensor from <1% to 50%, enabling that spectrometer to detect the ion species near planet Mercury. However, observations showed that the Signal-to-Noise (SNR) lowered in various plasma environments; meaning that there is a need to reduce the artificial noise, for a better result.
We present new approaches for the Hadamard technique operation with an aim to improve the SNR, and in addition to that, increase the duty cycle to potentially 100%.
How to cite: Varsani, A., Giono, G., Maynard-Hernandez, G., Lammer, H., Laky, G., Jeszenszky, H., Schmid, D., Nakamura, R., Baumjohann, W., and Fischer, D.: Ion mass spectrometry, new approach in Hadamard modulation of the Time-of-Flight, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-20787, 2026.
Laser Ablation Ionisation Mass Spectrometry (LIMS) is widely applied for elemental and isotope analysis of solid materials, with applications ranging from geochemical characterisation to planetary exploration. Elemental compositions provide key constraints on grain size mineralogy, geological context, and potential astrobiological relevance (1, 2). Our compact LIMS system has been selected for flight within NASA’s Artemis Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) programme for in situ chemical analysis of lunar regolith at the lunar south pole (3). This compact flight instrument is optimised for robustness and low resource consumption, but naturally, its mass resolution is limited. High-performance laboratory instruments are therefore essential for interpreting spaceborne measurements and for establishing reliable reference datasets.
Measurements conducted using our space-prototype LIMS instrument were accompanied by parallel measurements on a high-resolution femtosecond LIMS system, the Laser Mass Spectrometer – Gran Turismo (LMS-GT) (4, 5) to establish a direct laboratory reference for spaceborne mass spectra. The high mass resolution of LMS-GT of up to 10’000 allows for the resolution of isobaric interferences and identification of polyatomic species that could contribute to unresolved peaks that might be observed using our compact LIMS system. Systematic deconvolution and interpretation of complex spectra is facilitated by a newly developed data analysis workflow that supports peak identification. This approach provides a quantitative framework for evaluating detection uncertainties and for assessing how molecular and polyatomic interferences influence apparent peak intensities in lower-resolution instruments.
The capabilities of LMS-GT for quantitative trace element analysis of dielectric reference materials were assessed using NIST SRM 610 silicate glass samples with ppm quantities of trace elements. All measurements were conducted on both gold-coated and uncoated NIST SRM 610 to evaluate the influence of surface charging on spectral stability, sensitivity, and reproducibility (6). While broadly comparable abundance trends are observed, uncoated measurements exhibit increased signal instability and reduced spectral quality due to surface charging, a known challenge for quantitative analysis of dielectric materials. The results demonstrate that laboratory scale (LMS-GT) and spaceborne LIMS systems form a complementary instrument pair, where high-resolution laboratory measurements enhance the scientific return of compact in situ instruments. This approach provides a valuable framework for mission support, data interpretation, and future applications to planetary exploration and sample return.
[1] A. Riedo, et al., 2021, https://doi.org/10.3389/fspas.2021.726373
[2] R. E. Russo, et al., 2002, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0039-9140(02)00053a-X
[3] P. K. Schmidt, et al., 2025, https://doi.org/10.1109/AERO63441.2025.11068749
[4] M. Tulej, et al., 2021, https://doi.org/10.3390/app11062562
[5] C. P. de Koning, et al., 2021, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijms.2021.116662
[6] S. Gruchola, et al., 2023, https://doi.org/10.1039/D3JA00078H
How to cite: Knecht, L. N., Gruchola, S., Tulej, M., Riedo, A., and Wurz, P.: Complementary Use of Laboratory and Spaceborne LIMS for Quantitative Chemical Analysis of Planetary Materials, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-9985, 2026.
Onboard the Proba-3 mission, each spacecraft is suited with three micro-Advanced Stellar Compass (µASC) CCD-based cameras providing simultaneous attitude data, supporting the onboard GNC kernel and the Vision Based Sensor (VBS) for formation flight.
Alongside the image analysis process for star location, the particle induced CCD effects are isolated and counted for each of the individual cameras. This count information is reported out alongside the attitude information telemetry, associating the data with an attitude and timestamp.
The Proba-3 mission operates in a Highly Elliptical Orbit (HEO) regime with perigee at 600km and apogee at 60.000km, and an orbit period of 19.7hours. This orbit configuration enables great coverage of both the inner and outer particle zones of the Earths magnetic field, with the ability to provide both high and low frequency variations in the detection streams. Furthermore, the asymmetric shielding structure and distributed pointing directions of the individual cameras provides directional information of the detected particles.
In this work we present the observed data of the up-till now detections observed aboard the Proba-3 mission, aligned with position, direction and solar activity, resulting in a detailed radiation map for the given energy ranges that the µASC system is sensitive to.
How to cite: Benn, M., Jørgensen, J. L., Jørgensen, P. S., and Denver, T.: Particle Count from Camera Suite on Formation Flying Spacecraft Pair in HEO, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-17145, 2026.
The Io Plasma Torus (IPT) plays a key role in the workings of the Jupiter System at large. It is a complex system driven by Io’s volcanism and surface-atmosphere that interacts with numerous Jupiter System objects. Despite significant and varied modelling efforts, the description of its spatial structure and temporal variability remains challenging, especially because of insufficient data coverage.
In this EGU Poster, we analyze the IPT's spectral emissions and spatio-temporal dynamics to establish the optical specifications for a future ground-based observation system. Our main conclusions are as follows:
1- Temporal variability: the large diversity of objects in the Jupiter System with which the IPT interacts, and the complex, highly non-linear nature of these interactions, contribute to the strong observed temporal variability of the IPT, which displays a broad range of time scales, from hourly to multi-decadal. Capturing all timescales requires hourly, intercalibrated observations, necessitating dedicated space platforms and/or a longitudinal ground network.
2- Spatial scales: the Io system includes interconnected objects of very different spatial extensions, from tens of km with Io’s volcanoes and plumes, to more than 1000 Rj with the nebula(e). Hence, an observation system covering the Io system in a comprehensive way will need to combine observations with very diverse spatial coverages, from sharp AO observations (e.g. 0.02’’ achieved with the LBT) to 5.5°.
3- Spectral extension: electromagnetic emissions generated by the Io system cover a very large part of the electromagnetic spectrum, and the different components of the system emit to a large part in different wavelength ranges and in the different spectral lines corresponding to different neutral and ionized species. Hence, a combined set of telescopes covering this system in a comprehensive way will have to optimally combine observations of different spectral lines in different spectral ranges.
4- Complementary observations: beyond the body of UV / EUV observations from space, ground-based observations over the last 50 years have also borne very valuable fruit. Indeed, instrumentation necessary to image the IPT does not necessarily need to be expensive: simple designs using smart "amateur-class" equipment already allow for the observation of the brightest lines. As spaceborne and ground-based observations offer complementary advantages and limitations, a future comprehensive observation system for the IPT will likely have to combine both.
Given stringent time resolution constraints, and aiming at an affordable budget envelope, the development of a longitudinal network of telescopes appears as particularly cost-effective and promising. It could build on the successful IPT telescopes that already exist in different longitude sectors and complement them with one or several ones at key locations, including the European and African sectors. In France, such an effort will be coordinated at the national level, allowing one to take full advantage of synergies between radio observations at Nançay and new optical observations. In this poster, we outline design guidelines for a smart, multi-site, multi-spectral system capturing the IPT's spatiotemporal dynamics and coupling processes that will address the choice of telescope as well as of the spatial (coronagraph) and spectral (color filters) filtering systems.
How to cite: Billotte, B., Blanc, M., Andre, N., Vinci, G., Benkhaldoun, Z., Benmahi, B., Cabanac, R., Devinat, M., Dohlen, K., Ferrari, M., He, F., Hue, V., Kagitani, M., Lamy, L., Liu, Z.-Y., Morgenthaler, J. P., and Tsushiya, F.: Towards a Longitude Network of Io Torus Observatories, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-20112, 2026.
The KiloElectron Volt Ion (KEVIon) irradiation facility for space science — a new NASA Planetary Science Enabling Facility — is under development within the Laboratory for Astrophysics and Surface Physics at the University of Virginia (LASP-UVa). This user-focused facility is comprised of four integrated components: (1) multiple ion sources including a low energy ion gun (< 5 keV), a medium energy light ion accelerator (< 50 keV), and a Pelletron ion accelerator (< 300 keV) to provide positive atomic or molecular ions over a wide range of species, charges, and energies; (2) a novel ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) chamber called "GRAINS" that integrates X-ray photoelectron spectrometry, mass spectrometry, medium-energy ion scattering, hyperspectral imaging, surface charge measurement, and more for holistic studies of mineralogical samples and other materials; (3) an established cryogenic UHV chamber, named "ICE", for studies involving irradiation, temperature-programmed desorption, and mass spectrometry of condensed gas targets; and (4) a user-configurable UHV chamber called "TEST" for instrument testing, calibration, and prototyping. KEVIon is expected to facilitate transformative research in space weathering, radiolysis, radiosynthesis, sputtering, radiation damage, surface charging, and instrument development/response testing. A variety of experimental results obtained using KEVIon instrumentation will be presented and discussed to showcase the capabilities of the new facility.
KEVIon is accessible to researchers either in-person—contingent upon required safety and instrument training—or remotely as a pay-for-services facility. A full-time instrument scientist is available to assist with experiment planning, instrument operation, instrument training, data acquisition, and data analysis. Nominal hourly rates for academic, industrial, and government-affiliated users are provided on the KEVIon website at https://engineering.virginia.edu/kevion, along with details about facility instrumentation and analytical techniques. For more information or to schedule a consultation, please email Cathy Dukes (PI) at cdukes@virginia.edu, or Adam Woodson (Instrument Scientist) at akw8r@virginia.edu.
Acknowledgments: The authors would like to thank the NASA PSEF program for making this facility possible through award 80NSSC23K0200.
How to cite: Woodson, A., Dukes, C., Ihlefeld, J., Johnson, R., Reinke, P., Garrod, R., and Cleeves, I.: KEVIon: An Ion Irradiation Facility for Transformative Research in Space Science at the University of Virginia, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-15977, 2026.
