News

27 October 2009

 

Modulight lasers to be launched on ESA’s SMOS Satellite Mission

Laser manufacturer Modulight Inc of Tampere, Finland has supplied fiber-pigtailed laser diodes to the European Space Agency (ESA) for its Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite mission, which is to be launched on 2 November.

The lasers are a part of the optical harness of the MIRAS (Microwave Imaging Radiometer using Aperture Synthesis) instrument in the satellite.

By using MIRAS, SMOS will provide global information on surface soil moisture every three days within an accuracy of 4% at a spatial resolution of 50km (comparable to detecting one teaspoonful of water mixed into a handful of soil). In parallel, SMOS will also observe ocean salinity down to 0.1psu (practical salinity unit) for a 30 day average over an area of 200km x 200km (about the same as detecting 0.1g of salt in a liter of water).

The MIRAS Optical Harness (MOHA) was designed and manufactured by the former Contraves Space (now RUAG Space). Modulight supplied more than 70 lasers for the instrument, which controls the synchronization of the distributed microwave antenna elements of the satellite and hence the whole remote sensing functionality.

Data from SMOS should result in a better understanding of the water cycle and, in particular, the exchange processes between the Earth’s surfaces and the atmosphere. This should help to improve weather and climate models, as well as having practical applications in areas such as agriculture and water resource management.

“We delivered the first ever communication lasers to space application for a mission critical function on a science satellite,” claims Modulight’s president & CEO Dr Petteri Uusimaa.

Modulight appoints distributor for UK and Ireland

In early October, to strengthen its position in the UK and Republic of Ireland, Modulight signed a distribution agreement with Pro-Lite Technology LLP of Cranfield, UK, a specialist distributor serving the laser and optical radiation measurement communities in those countries.

Pro-Lite will supply Modulight products ranging from the design and manufacturing of high-power laser diodes to OEM-based optical sub-systems and turnkey laser systems for medical, industrial, display, and communications applications. Modulight says that it works in close co-operation with customers, offering customized products and volume production capabilities.

“We have a customer base in that market, and Pro-Lite’s expertise complements very well the support we can offer says,” says Modulight’s president & CEO Dr Petteri Uusimaa. “By working together with Pro-Lite, we expect a significant increase in our market share in UK,” he adds.

“Modulight’s proven range of application-specific products and customer focus make them an ideal partner,” comments Pro-Lite partner Ian Stansfield.

See related item:

Modulight wins $1.1m pump laser development contract from ESA

Search: Modulight Laser diodes

Visit: www.esa.int

Visit: www.modulight.com

Visit: www.pro-lite.co.uk