Thermal control system of the Exoplanet Characterisation Observatory Payload: design and predictions

Abstract

The Exoplanet Characterisation Observatory (EChO) is a space mission dedicated to investigate exoplanetary atmospheres by undertaking spectroscopy of transiting planets in a wide spectral region from the visible to the mid-InfraRed (IR). The high sensitivity and the long exposures required by the mission need an extremely stable thermo-mechanical platform. The instrument is passively cooled down to approximately 40 K, together with the telescope assembly, by a V-Groove based design that exploits the L2 orbit favourable thermal conditions. The visible and short-IR wavelength detectors are maintained at the operating temperature of 40 K by a dedicated radiator coupled to the cold space. The mid-IR channels, require a lower operating temperature and are cooled by an active refrigerator: a 28 K Neon Joule-Thomson (JT) cold end, fed by a mechanical compressor. Temperature stability is one of the challenging issues of the whole architecture: periodical perturbations must be controlled before they reach the sensitive units of the instrument. An efficient thermal control system is required: the design is based on a combination of passive and active solutions. In this paper we describe the thermal architecture of the payload with the main cryo-chain stages and their temperature control systems. The requirements that drive the design and the trade-offs needed to enable the EChO exciting science in a technically feasible payload design are discussed. Thermal modelling results and preliminary performance predictions in terms of steady state and transient conditions are also reported. This paper is presented on behalf of the EChO Consortium.