BackForwardInstrument:  MAESTRO 

Instrument details
Acronym MAESTRO
Full name Measurements of Aerosol Extinction in the Stratosphere and Troposphere Retrieved by Occultation
Purpose Atmospheric chemistry at high latitudes and high altitude. Tracked species: H2O, NO2, O3 and aerosol
Short description UV/VIS/NIR grating spectrometer in the range 285-1030 nm, spectral resolution 1-2 nm, SNR > 1000 at the expected input spectral radiance
Background New development
Scanning Technique Sun occultation
Resolution Vertical: 1-2 km - Horizontal: effective 500 km (limb sounding)
Coverage / Cycle N/A because of the occultation geometry. Only occurring at high latitudes
Mass 8 kg Power 15 W Data Rate 3 Mbps

 

Providing Agency CSA
Instrument Maturity Flown on an R&D satellite
Utilization Period: 2003 to 2025
Last update: 2023-12-04
Detailed characteristics
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
  • Limb sounders
  • Limb sounder
WIGOS Subcomponents
  • Subcomponent 1
  • UV/VIS/NIR sounders, nadir and limb
  • UV/VIS/NIR occultation limb sounder
  • Subcomponent 2
  • UV/VIS/NIR/IR/MW limb sounders
  • UV/VIS/NIR/IR occultation limb sounder
Mission objectives
Primary mission objectives
  • BrO
  • ClO
  • H2O
  • HCHO
  • NO
  • NO2
  • O3
  • SO2
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
Aerosol mass mixing ratio5 - marginalLimited to high atmosphere.. Limited to high latitudes.. Daylight only.UV, VIS, NIR limb sounding by solar occultation. Self-calibrating
BrO*5 - marginalLimited to high atmosphere.. Daylight only.UV spectrometry. BrO lines around 300 nm. Limb sounding by solar occultation.. Self-calibrating
HCHO*5 - marginalLimited to high atmosphere.. Daylight only.UV spectrometry. HCHO lines around 350 nm Limb sounding by solar occultation. Self-calibrating
ClO*5 - marginalLimited to high atmosphere.. Daylight only.UV spectrometry. ClO lines around 300 nm. Limb sounding by solar occultation. Self-calibrating
H2O*5 - marginalDaylight only.. Limited to high atmosphere.. Limited to high latitudes.Spectrometry in UV and VIS (several weak bands) and NIR (strong band around 940 nm). Limb sounding by solar occultation. Self-calibrating
NO*5 - marginalLimited to high atmosphere.. Daylight only.UV spectrometry. NO lines around 250 nm. Limb sounding by solar occultation. Self-calibrating
NO2*5 - marginalLimited to high atmosphere.. Daylight only.UV and VIS spectrometry. Several lines in the ranges around 220 nm and 400 nm. Limb sounding by solar occultation. Self-calibrating
O3*5 - marginalLimited to high atmosphere.. Daylight only.UV and VIS spectrometry. Ozone lines in the bands around 260 nm (Hartley) and/or 340 nm (Huggins) and 600 nm (Chappuis). Limb sounding by solar occultation. Self-calibrating
PSC occurrence5 - marginalLimited to high atmosphere.. Daylight only.UV and VIS spectrometry. Limb sounding by solar occultation. Self-calibrating
SO2*5 - marginalLimited to high atmosphere.. Daylight only.UV spectrometry. SO2 lines around 350 nm. Limb sounding by solar occultation. Self-calibrating
Specific humidity5 - marginalLimited to high atmosphere.. Limited to high latitudes.. Daylight only.UV, VIS and NIR spectrometry with several water vapour bands (main: around 940 nm). Limb sounding by solar occultation, Self-calibrating
Aerosol volcanic ash5 - marginalLimited to high atmosphere.. Limited to high latitudes.. Daylight only.UV, VIS and NIR spectrometry; limb sounding by solar occultation. Self-calibrating
Atmospheric temperature5 - marginalDaylight only.. Limited to high atmosphere.VIS spectroscopy at lower resolution 10 nm