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The SuperCam project has successfully passed its CDR and begins integration

27 January 2017

The SuperCam project successfully passed its Critical Design Review on December 7, 8 and 9 2016 at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in New Mexico. SuperCam is a spanish-french-amercian instrument which will be sent in 2020 on NASA’s Mars2020 Rover. Its objective is to determine the mineralogical and elementary composition of martian rocks, and to search for the presence of organic matter. To do this, it integrates a laser, a telescope with its autofocus system, UV, visible and infra red spectrometers, a color camera, and a microphone.

After selection in July 2014, preparatory work in September 2014, and a Preliminary Design Review successfully passed in 2015, this constitutes yet another key step which the SuperCam project has successfully passed. The LESIA teams, within the consortium of the four French laboratories (IRAP, LAB, LATMOS, LESIA) led by the IRAP (Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie) which creates the French contribution in close collaboration with the CNES, have made major contributions to this success.

Flight model of the AOTF, the dispersing unit of the spectrometer
© Observatoire de Paris/LESIA - Photo Marion Bonafous

The LESIA took part in the optical, mechanical and thermal design of the instrument, as well as in the creation and testing of the development models. Together with our partners at the LATMOS, we are specifically in charge of the technical and scientific aspects of the infra-red spectrometer. Overall, about fifteen members of the LESIA are working on the SuperCam project.

Following on this success, we can to-day begin the integration of the qualification model (EQM) of the infra-red spectrometer. This will take place in the Titan room (building 18), which has been reserved completely for the SuperCam project during 2017. It is foreseen that that integration will last until April 2017, and willl then be followed by testing, before delivery to the IRAP for integration with all the French contribution, and qualification.

The French contribution will be delivered to the LANL in summer for a complete qualification of the instrument. After that, integration of the flight model will start in autumn 2017 for delivery to the IRAP early 2018, and then to the LANL in the spring of 2018.

Mechanical structure EQM of the infra-red spectrometer: it was built at the LESIA, but the surface coating was done by a subcontractor
© Observatoire de Paris/LESIA - Photo Claude Collin
The Judwon photodiode on its mounting, created at the LESIA
© Observatoire de Paris/LESIA - Photo Sophie Jacquinod
The mechanical structure of the telescope for the EQM being degassed at the LESIA
© Observatoire de Paris/LESIA - Photo Jérôme Parisot