Millimeter- and Submillimeter-Wave Technologies for Space Passive Remote Sensing Instruments

This paper presents an overview of the passive remote sensing instruments and missions in the millimeter (30-300 GHz) and sub-millimeter wave domain (300 GHz-3 THz) which provided successfully key weather data of the Earth’s atmosphere, in-depth scientific observations of planets’ and comets’ atmospheres over the last 20 years, and the underlying technologies which allows for these instruments to demonstrate state-of-the-art sensitivities, accuracies and spectral resolutions. A review of the key constitutive RF technologies and receiver building blocks is performed, as well as technological prospects and on-going developments required for future space passive remote sensing missions, in the light of “New Space” approach, short project lifetime cycles, with the use of disruptive technologies to make leapfrogs in this very dynamic field.