Libera’s wide-field-of-view camera for augmenting next-generation Earth radiation budget satellite observations

The Libera instrument is being developed as part of a NASA Earth Venture Continuity mission for extending Earth radiation budget (ERB) measurements by the currently operational Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) instruments into the future. Libera will be launched on NOAA’s JPSS-4 satellite. Libera introduces several new technologies, including advanced VACNT detectors, a split-shortwave channel to quantify shortwave near-IR and visible radiation, and a wide field of view camera (WFC) that advance the state-of-the-art in Earth radiation budget measurements. The WFC is a monochromatic wide field of view camera operating at 555nm over a 123-degree field of view that will continuously observe the full Earth disk from low-earth orbit. The WFC provides a unique capability for scene identification and Angular Distribution Model (ADM) generation that complements similar measurements from the VIIRS instrument that will fly on JPSS-4 with Libera. By demonstrating that Libera’s WFC provides the data required for ADM development, a path forward for future free-flier ERB measurements will be explored. We focus on the development of the WFC, its science objectives, unique design features, its current state of development, and how it could help to enable a constellation of smaller, more cost-effective ERB instruments for the future.