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.

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.