Annales Geophysicae· 2026Q2
Juice/SWI during the Lunar-Earth-Gravity-Assist (LEGA) – Part 4: Antenna pointing and beam characterisation
- 3citations
- Q2SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
The Submillimetre Wave Instrument (SWI) onboard the Juice spacecraft's antenna beam characteristics, including Full Width at Half Maximum (FWHM), sidelobes, pointing accuracy, and receiver alignment, were successfully characterised using Earth-pointing observations during the Lunar-Earth-Gravity-Assist (LEGA) maneuver in August 2024.
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Key points
- SWI antenna beam characteristics were analysed using LEGA data from August 2024.
- Measurements included antenna beam FWHM, sidelobes, absolute pointing, and receiver co-alignment.
- An estimate of the calibration efficiency factor was obtained.
- The SWI instrument operates with receivers covering 530–638 GHz and 1066–1286 GHz.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Abstract. The Submillimetre Wave Instrument (SWI) onboard the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) spacecraft consists of a 29 cm off-axis paraboloid antenna and two double-sideband heterodyne receivers operating in the frequency ranges of 530–638 and 1066–1286 GHz. This instrument is designed to study Jupiter’s atmosphere and the exospheres of the Galilean moons. We used the Lunar-Earth-Gravity-Assist (LEGA) data from August 2024 to characterise this antenna using several SWI observations pointing towards the Earth. The data analysis of the LEGA observations dedicated to the antenna beam allows us to characterise the antenna beam Full Width at Half Maximum (FWHM), sidelobes, absolute pointing and receiver coalignement. Moreover, an estimate of the calibration efficiency factor has been obtained.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Annales Geophysicae, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy and AstrophysicsPhysics and Astronomy