BackForwardInstrument:  MX-LWIR 

Instrument details
Acronym MX-LWIR
Full name Multispectral - Long Wave Infrared
Purpose Frequent high-resolution observation of surface temperatures
Short description 6-channel radiometer in the TIR range [see detailed characteristics below]
Background Complementary to MX-VNIR
Scanning Technique Mechanical, addressable everywhere in the disc with variable area coverage
Resolution 1.5 km at s.s.p.
Coverage / Cycle Depending on the size of the scanned area. 30 min for the India region
Mass Power Data Rate

 

Providing Agency ISRO
Instrument Maturity Flown on an R&D satellite
Utilization Period: 2021 to 2029
Last update: 2021-06-16
Detailed characteristics

Central wavelength

Spectral interval

NEΔT @ specified input

7.35 µm

7.1-7.6 µm

0.15 K @ 300 K

8.50 µm

8.3-8.7 µm

0.15 K @ 300 K

9.60 µm

9.4-9.8 µm

0.15 K @ 300 K

10.8 µm

10-3-11.3 µm

0.15 K @ 300 K

12.0 µm

11.5-12.5 µm

0.15 K @ 300 K

13.25 µm

13.0-13.5 µm

0.15 K @ 300 K
Satellites this instrument is flying on

Note: a red tag indicates satellites no longer operational, a green tag indicates operational satellites, a blue tag indicates future satellites

Instrument classification
  • Earth observation instrument
  • Passive optical radiometer or spectrometer
  • High resolution optical imager
WIGOS Subcomponents
  • Subcomponent 1
  • High-resolution multi-spectral VIS/IR imagers
  • High-resolution multi-spectral VIS/IR imager
Mission objectives
Primary mission objectives
  • Fire fractional cover
  • Fire radiative power
  • Fire temperature
  • Land surface temperature
  • Sea surface temperature
Evaluation of Measurements

The following list indicates which measurements can typically be retrieved from this category of instrument. To see a full Gap Analysis by Variable, click on the respective variable.

Note: table can be sorted by clicking on the column headers
Note: * Primary mission objective.
VariableRelevance for measuring this variableOperational limitationsExplanation
Accumulated precipitation3 - highConvective precipitation dominant.. Calibration by MW needed.TIR channel(s) in the 10-13 micrometers range. Frequent sampling (GEO) is essential for accumulated precipitation
Cloud cover5 - marginalInfrequent coverage.TIR window channel(s) around 11 micrometers
Cloud top height3 - highInfrequent coverage.TIR channels in the 11 micrometers window and the water vapour band around 6.3 micrometers (for emissivity) to estimate cloud top height from its temperature
Cloud top temperature2 - very highInfrequent coverage.TIR channels in the window around 11 micrometers and the water vapour band around 6.3 micrometers (for emissivity) to estimate cloud top height from its temperature
Fire fractional cover*2 - very highCloud sensitive.. Infrequent coverage.TIR window channel(s) around 11 micrometers
Fire radiative power*5 - marginalCloud sensitive.. Infrequent coverage.TIR window channel(s) around 11 micrometers
Fire temperature*5 - marginalCloud sensitive.. Infrequent coverage.TIR window channel(s) around 11 micrometers
Land surface temperature*4 - fairCloud sensitive.. Infrequent coverage.TIR split window channels around 11 micrometers for water vapour correction
Precipitation intensity at surface (liquid or solid)3 - highConvective precipitation dominant.. Calibration by MW needed.TIR channel(s). Frequent sampling (GEO) consistent with precipitation temporal variability
Sea surface temperature*4 - fairCloud sensitive.. Infrequent coverage.TIR split window channels for water vapour correction
Integrated Water Vapour (IWV)4 - fairCloud sensitive.. Low troposphere dominant.. Infrequent coverage.TIR channels in the 11 micrometers split window