June 23, 2006, Grenoble, France--Sofradir, a developer and manufacturer of advanced infrared (IR) detectors for military, space and industrial applications, announced that the European Space Agency (ESA) has selected the company to develop a new, near-IR detector for the Visible Infrared Imaging spectrometer (VN-IMS), a measurement instrument that will be used in BepiColombo, the ESA's space mission to Mercury.
The short-wave IR (SWIR) detector that Sofradir will develop, 500 x 256 with 30µm pitch, will sense radiation both in visible and short-wave IR ranges. This new detector will cover detection in a wavelength spectrum from 0.4 µm to 2.3 µm on a single detector, the first of its kind to be made available in Europe. The role of Sofradir's SWIR will be to capture data for the study of Mercury mineralogy.
For this space project, Sofradir will be extending the sensitivity of its SWIR range to the visible range, which is a breakthrough in hyperspectral applications. Previously, this kind of application needed two detectors--one visible detector for the panchromatic instrument and one SWIR detector for infrared spectrum. "With this new generation, both visible and SWIR ranges can be sensed in a single detector, enabling an all important reduction in system cost," explained Philippe Chorier, Space Project Program Manager at Sofradir.
Sofradir currently has IR detectors deployed in the military surveillance space program, Helios IIA, and in Venus Express, which reached Venusian orbit in April 2006. The BepiColombo contract is a first step for Sofradir in the program's Definition Study process. Delivery of the sample IR detector is required early 2007. The actual BepiColombo launch date to Mercury is expected around 2013.
For more information, see www.sofradir.com.