The Advanced Ultra-high Resolution Optical RAdiometer (AURORA) Pathfinder

This presentation introduces the design, science objectives and project plan of the Advanced Ultra-high Resolution Optical RAdiometer (AURORA) Pathfinder.

Hyperspectral microwave sensors, which offer a few hundred to a few thousand channels, are strongly advocated by space and meteorological agencies worldwide. These sensors are critical for enhancing the capability of Earth atmospheric sounding, particularly for measuring temperature and water vapor from space. Despite their significance, current microwave sensors in the Program of Record are limited to only a couple dozen sparsely sampled channels, which constrains the vertical resolution and accuracy of the sounding profiles. The primary challenge lies in traditional radio-frequency technology's inability to process ultra-wide bandwidths (20-200 GHz) at hyperspectral resolutions (<1 GHz) simultaneously, while keeping the instrument size, weight, power consumption, and cost (SWaP-C) feasible.

These challenges are now being effectively addressed. The NASA Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO) and the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program have made significant investments in hyperspectral microwave technology by funding research and development in Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC) and Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) technologies. These efforts have ultimately led to the award of the AURORA Pathfinder. This project is a collaborative NASA project bringing together a team from the Goddard Space Flight Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory and private industry to demonstrate this new sensor technology.

AURORA Pathfinder will offer accurate measurements of the Earth’s thermal microwave radiation, with unprecedented spectral and spatial resolution, unveiling critical and unexplored information about the PBL, as well as the free atmosphere's temperature, water vapor, and hydrometeors. Concurrent efforts have matured hyperspectral microwave radiative transfer and inverse techniques to conduct trade studies aimed at maximizing information content, stability and SWaP-C efficiency.

Scheduled for launch in 2028, AURORA Pathfinder will demonstrate readiness for a future NASA Planetary Boundary Layer mission. Findings from AURORA will also inform the NOAA NEON program.