VIAVI Solutions Inc has announced its contribution to NASA's Europa Clipper mission. Leveraging its decades of leadership in precision thin film optical coatings for mission-critical space applications, VIAVI supplied a precision order sorting filter for the Mapping Imaging Spectrometer for Europa (MISE) on the Europa Clipper spacecraft.
A vital instrument on the spacecraft, MISE is designed to analyze the surface composition of Jupiter's moon Europa and determine the habitability of its subsurface ocean by mapping the distribution of organics, salts, acid hydrates, and water ice phases. VIAVI's precision order sorting filter helps ensure the optimal performance of MISE, enabling it to capture high-resolution spectral data in the infrared range from 0.8 to 5 micrometers.
The filter brings together three key capabilities: photolithographically-patterned bandpass filters, a Linear Variable Filter (LVF) and both optics assembled as a Butcher Block. VIAVI and NASA collaborated to tackle key technical challenges in developing the unique precision order sorting filter, such as addressing the slope of the wavelength progression, co-planarity of the assembled optic, placement of the LVF center wavelengths relative to the alignment fiducials and a challenging radiation environment.
