Europa Clipper’s REASON Sounding Radar - Flight Electronics Implementation and Ground Testing

Europa Clipper’s REASON Sounding Radar - Flight Electronics Implementation and Ground Testing
by Mark Fischman
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
December 7th, 2023
Webinar sponsored by IEEE GRSS
The Radar for Europa Assessment and Sounding: Ocean to Near-surface (REASON) is a dual-frequency (9-MHz HF, 60-MHz VHF) radar that will collect the first ever science data set below the icy surface of Jupiter’s moon Europa. The REASON hardware team recently delivered the flight electronics for the in-vault (radiation shielded) portion of the radar to the Europa Clipper project for System Integration and Test, in preparation for launch in Fall 2024. In this talk, I will introduce the instrument specifications and operating concept unique to making “flyby” radar observations of Europa (approach, nadir closest approach, and departure) over the course of the mission. Following this introduction is a discussion of the radar electronics development and the team’s approach for verifying the hardware and firmware in ground testing - especially during flight model environmental testing and system-level testing with the spacecraft
More details at: www.grss-ieee....