An integrated payload design for the Exoplanet Characterisation Observatory (EChO)

Bruce Swinyard; Giovanna Tinetti; Paul Eccleston; Alberto Adriani; Jean-Philippe Beaulieu; Tomas Belenguer Davila; Neil Bowles; Ian Bryson; Vincent Coudé du Foresto; Marc Ferlet; Paul Hartogh; Pierre-Olivier Lagage; Tanya Lim; Giuseppe Malaguti; Mercedes López-Morales; Giuseppina Micela; Gianluca Morgante; Hans Ulrik Nørgaard-Nielsen; Marc Ollivier; Emanuele Pace; Enzo Pascale; Giuseppe Piccioni; Gonzalo Ramos Zapata; Jean-Michel Reess; Ignasi Ribas; Alessandro Sozzetti; Jonathan Tennyson; Marcell Tessenyi; Mark R. Swain; Berend Winter; Ingo Waldmann; Gillian Wright; Maria-Rosa Zapatero Osorio; Athena Coustenis

doi:10.1117/12.924688

21 September 2012 An integrated payload design for the Exoplanet Characterisation Observatory (EChO)

Bruce Swinyard, Giovanna Tinetti, Paul Eccleston, Alberto Adriani, Jean-Philippe Beaulieu, Tomas Belenguer Davila, Neil Bowles, Ian Bryson, Vincent Coudé du Foresto, Marc Ferlet, Paul Hartogh, Pierre-Olivier Lagage, Tanya Lim, Giuseppe Malaguti, Mercedes López-Morales, Giuseppina Micela, Gianluca Morgante, Hans Ulrik Nørgaard-Nielsen, Marc Ollivier, Emanuele Pace, Enzo Pascale, Giuseppe Piccioni, Gonzalo Ramos Zapata, Jean-Michel Reess, Ignasi Ribas, Alessandro Sozzetti, Jonathan Tennyson, Marcell Tessenyi, Mark R. Swain, Berend Winter, Ingo Waldmann, Gillian Wright, Maria-Rosa Zapatero Osorio, Athena Coustenis

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 8442, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2012: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave; 84421G (2012) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.924688
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2012, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Abstract

The Exoplanet Characterisation Observatory (EChO) is a space mission dedicated to undertaking spectroscopy of transiting exoplanets over the widest wavelength range possible. It is based around a highly stable space platform with a 1.2 m class telescope. The mission is currently being studied by ESA in the context of a medium class mission within the Cosmic Vision programme for launch post 2020. The payload suite is required to provide simultaneous coverage from the visible to the mid-infrared and must be highly stable and effectively operate as a single instrument. In this paper we describe the integrated spectrometer payload design for EChO which will cover the 0.4 to 16 micron wavelength band. The instrumentation is subdivided into 5 channels (Visible/Near Infrared, Short Wave InfraRed, 2 x Mid Wave InfraRed; Long Wave InfraRed) with a common set of optics spectrally dividing the input beam via dichroics. We discuss the significant design issues for the payload and the detailed technical trade-offs that we are undertaking to produce a payload for EChO that can be built within the mission and programme constraints and yet which will meet the exacting scientific performance required to undertake transit spectroscopy.

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Bruce Swinyard, Giovanna Tinetti, Paul Eccleston, Alberto Adriani, Jean-Philippe Beaulieu, Tomas Belenguer Davila, Neil Bowles, Ian Bryson, Vincent Coudé du Foresto, Marc Ferlet, Paul Hartogh, Pierre-Olivier Lagage, Tanya Lim, Giuseppe Malaguti, Mercedes López-Morales, Giuseppina Micela, Gianluca Morgante, Hans Ulrik Nørgaard-Nielsen, Marc Ollivier, Emanuele Pace, Enzo Pascale, Giuseppe Piccioni, Gonzalo Ramos Zapata, Jean-Michel Reess, Ignasi Ribas, Alessandro Sozzetti, Jonathan Tennyson, Marcell Tessenyi, Mark R. Swain, Berend Winter, Ingo Waldmann, Gillian Wright, Maria-Rosa Zapatero Osorio, and Athena Coustenis "An integrated payload design for the Exoplanet Characterisation Observatory (EChO)", Proc. SPIE 8442, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2012: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave, 84421G (21 September 2012); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.924688

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