US Instrument Measures Sun’s Energy Output for Climate Study

U.S. Instrument Measures Sun’s Energy Output for Climate Studies

Washington, 21 November 2013 — An instrument that measures the sun’s energy output is in orbit after it was launched November 19 on the U.S. Air Force’s Space Test Program Satellite-3. The satellite was aboard a Minotaur I rocket that launched from NASA Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

The instrument, called the Total solar irradiance Calibration Transfer Experiment (TCTE), is funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) next-generation Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) and designed to continue measurements of the total energy output of the sun. NOAA said these measurements are used to measure light from the sun at all wavelengths — which is the primary energy source that drives climate on Earth — and determine if solar changes influence the Earth’s climate.

“The TCTE instrument is a creative, fast and low-cost solution that will maintain and extend the solar energy data record until the launch of the next such instrument,” said Harry Cikanek, JPSS director. “The U.S. Air Force, NOAA and NASA, along with our industry and academic partners, went from an idea to development in a matter of months, and much faster than usual which is notable given the challenges of integrating a new payload on an already designed mission.”

The solar irradiance record from space that began in 1978 is currently measured by the Total Irradiance Monitor deployed in 2003 on the Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE) mission. While SORCE was designed to last for five years, it is still recording data more than 10 years later, but the aging satellite is nearing the end of its battery life.

The TCTE instrument is one of three nearly identical instruments built at the time of the SORCE mission. Because the instrument was already built, it was able to be quickly integrated onto the Air Force satellite with short notice after to the cancellation of another instrument. TCTE is intended as an interim solution to maintain and extend the data record until the launch of the next measurement mission, the Total Solar Irradiance Sensor, aboard NOAA’s Polar Free Flyer, which does not yet have a launch date.

NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources.

NOAA is one of a number of U.S. agencies and departments that are involved in gathering data on climate for the U.S. comprehensive approach to climate change. These agencies share their findings with scientists worldwide.

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