HARP (HyperAngular Rainbow Polarimeter)

Measure the microphysical properties of cloud water and ice particles and validate new polarimeter instrument.

Mission is to measure the microphysical properties of cloud water and ice particles. HARP is a precursor for the new generation of imaging polarimeters to be used for the detailed measurements of aerosol and cloud properties.

Space validation of new technology required by the NASA Decadal Survey Aerosol-Cloud-Ecosystem (ACE) mission. Prove the on-flight capabilities of a highly accurate wide FOV hyper-angle imaging polarimeter for characterizing aerosol & cloud properties.

Prove that CubeSat technology can provide science-quality Earth Sciences data. The HARP payload is a wide FOV imager that splits 3 spatially identical images into 3 independent polarizers and detector arrays.

The Hyper-Angular Rainbow Polarimeter (HARP) CubeSat achieved “first light” on April 16. The tiny satellite sent back its very first image over Europe with bright splashes of colors defining clouds and aerosols, which are tiny particles in the atmosphere. HARP’s measurements help us better understand how clouds and aerosols impact weather, climate and air quality.

• SOLAR PANELS - Clyde Space

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