Leonardo was awarded a NASA contract in 2018 to develop a Short Wave detector, with a 350um MCT (Mercury Cadmium Telluride) pixel mounted to a custom TIA (Trans Impedance Amplifier) front end, in a Kovar package. In 2021, NASA informed Leonardo that the performance of the detectors was exceptional and approved their use for flight as part of the Ocean Colour Instrument (OCI).
The instrument is a highly advanced optical spectrometer and PACE’s primary sensor. The data captured by the OCI forms the backbone of the PACE scientific mission.
The Leonardo detectors will enable the OCI to measure the properties of light, over portions of the electromagnetic spectrum that are reflected from the ocean, and organisms within. The OCI data allows the instrument to measure the distribution of phytoplankton, tiny plants and algae that sustain the marine food web, and, as a result, will advance the assessment of ocean health.
The OCI will also continue systematically recording key atmospheric variables associated with air quality and the Earth’s climate.
Since the 1950s, Leonardo’s Southampton site has developed into a world-class centre of excellence for infrared detectors. The company has produced technology for several space programmes including the European Space Agency’s Meteosat and Envisat missions, NASA’s OSIRIS-Rex thermal emission spectrometer, the Japanese Space Agency’s (JAXA) Greenhouse gases Observing Satellite-2 (GOSAT-2), and the French Space Agency's IASI-NG programme for the EUMETSAT (Metop-SG) weather satellites.
The NASA certificate was “in appreciation of your valuable photo diode flight hardware contribution and support of the Ocean Colour Instrument and PACE Mission.”
Leonardo Head of IR Detectors, Sarah Marcham, said: “Being formally recognised by NASA for our contribution to the PACE mission is hugely rewarding for the whole team at Southampton. Not only are we proud to be supporting such an important climate change mission, but this certification also demonstrates the expertise and value that we have provided to NASA in producing these detectors.”
