Current status of superconducting submillimeter-wave limb-emission sounder (SMILES)

Superconducting Submillimeter-Wave Limb-Emission Sounder (SMILES) was designed to be aboard the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) on the International Space Station (ISS) as a collaboration project of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT). Mission Objectives are: i) Space demonstration of superconductive mixer and 4-K mechanical cooler for the submillimeter limb-emission sounding, and ii) global observations of atmospheric minor constituents in the stratosphere (O3, HCI, CIO, HO2, HOCI, BrO, O3 isotopes, HNO3, CH3CN, etc), contributing to the atmospheric sciences. The SMILES observation is characterized as aiming at variation and its impact of radical species in the stratosphere. Based on its high sensitivity in detecting atmospheric limb emission of the submillimeter wave range, JEM/SMILES will make measurements on several radical species crucial to the ozone chemistry. Developments in the SMILES components/subsystems have been done, and SMILES is now in the final system check phase. It will be launched in 2009 summer by the H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV).