Ensuring the accuracy of ESA’s FORUM climate mission
The European Space Agency’s upcoming FORUM mission is set to provide unique insights into Earth’s radiation budget, filling in a missing piece in the climate puzzle. The mission’s spectrometer will be the first space-based instrument to measure Earth’s outgoing radiation in the far-infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum with unprecedented resolution and accuracy. New technologies were needed to make this possible – among these an on-ground calibration device developed by the National Metrology Institute of Germany PTB within a recent activity funded by ESA’s General Support Technology Programme. This device is used to calibrate FORUM’s onboard reference source and ensures the accurate operation of the spectrometer.
Published by ESA on 10/09/2025
