SNPP OMPS Performance and Lessons Learned

The Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) on board the Suomi NPP spacecraft represents the culmination of over 30 years of backscatter ultraviolet (BUV) sensor design. With the advantage of lessons learned from predecessor instruments, it has so far lived up to most expectations with some notable exceptions. One characteristic that is especially important to BUV sensors, optical degradation, appears to be remarkably benign while another, thermal stability, is presenting more of a problem. We will review the basic principles of reflectance calibration used by most BUV instrument programs and explain the role that these performance characteristics play in successful calibration. Many crucial characteristics arise from deliberate choices in the original instrument design. Drawing upon examples from OMPS and predecessor instruments we attempt to identify some key BUV design approaches that lead to well calibrated sensors. We also explore how a fundamental difference in detector design between U.S. and European BUV programs affects the cost and success of a sensor's laboratory calibration.