Characterisation of the Thermal Control System for NIR Emitter of a Miniaturised Lidar for Mars

This work presents the design and characterisation of the thermal control system of the near-infrared (NIR) emitter in MiLi, a LiDAR designed and developed to evaluate the key technologies required for miniaturising LiDARs for Martian atmospheric analysis. The design is based on thermoelectric coolers, thermal straps, multi-layer insulation and proper design of contact areas for heat dissipation, aiming to stabilise the operative temperature of the NIR laser. Tests in ambient conditions showed that the laser’s emission wavelength can be kept within the required narrow band, a critical factor in performing accurate measurements on Mars. Although the obtained results highlighted the validity of the proposed design, ongoing efforts involve the characterisation of the thermal control system simulating the operational conditions expected on Mars.