ESA Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer (SLSTR)

29 January 2010

The Infrared Multilayer Laboratory has recently been awarded two prestigious development contracts to design and fabricate space-flight infrared optics for the ESA Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer (SLSTR) project. The contract for the supply of precision infrared optical filters and beamsplitters was awarded to the Laboratory from detector contractor AIM Infrarot-Module GmbH (Germany) and satellite designers at Selex Galileo (Italy).

In the framework of the Global Monitoring for Environmental and Security programme (GMES), this programme is for the development of a European polar orbit satellite system (Sentinel-3) with the provision of visible and infrared imagery in operational marine and land services, based on an optical and microwave Earth observation payload. The Sentinel-3 spacecraft will ensure the provision of Ocean observation data in a routine, long-term and continuous fashion. The mission is designed to generate land optical observations, ice topography and land hydrology. The instrument is destined to replace the ESA ENVISAT Advanced Along Track Scanning Radiometer (AATSR) in 2012.