Sorry, you need to enable JavaScript to visit this website.
Skip to main content

Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS)

 

Enhancing Weather Forecasting

CrIS is the world’s most advanced hyperspectral sounder and a key sensor on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS).

CrIS represents a significant enhancement over the legacy infrared sounder, the High- Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder, also built by L3Harris. CrIS breaks infrared energy emitted by the atmosphere into more than 2,000 channels compared to 19 previously, resulting in better vertical resolution or more data at more levels of the atmosphere. The more levels of data, the better the weather forecast.

The CrIS instrument, designed and built by L3Harris, is an advanced spectrometer that produces high-resolution, three-dimensional temperature and moisture profiles from space. These profiles improve the accuracy of weather forecasting models, especially for extreme weather three-to-seven-days in advance. CrIS also aids “nowcasting” for severe weather, including thunderstorms and tornadoes, and improves understanding of longer-term weather and climate phenomena, such as El Niño and La Niña.

A Detailed Look at CrIS

A Fourier transform spectrometer, CrIS provides atmospheric soundings with 2,211 spectral channels over three wavelength ranges: LWIR (9.14-15.38μm), MWIR (5.71-8.26μm) and SWIR (3.92- 4.64 μm). The instrument has an 8-centimeter clear aperture and uses plane mirror interferometer technology.

CrIS scans a 2,200 kilometer swath width, plus or minus 50 degrees, with 30 Earthscene views. Each view consists of nine fields of view (FOVs) with 14-kilometer diameter spots in a 3x3 array. Each scan, with an 8-second repeat interval, includes views of a warm calibration point (the internal calibration target) and a cold calibration point (a deep space view).

The overall instrument data rate is less than 2.41 megabits per second. L3Harris uses only photovoltaic detectors for the CrIS instrument.

The detectors are cooled to approximately 81 Kelvin using a four-stage passive cooler with no moving parts. They have a low-risk heritage design of over 50 space units.

Calibration

Calibration of the interferometer is accomplished with both laser wavelength calibration and a neon bulb spectral calibration. The internal calibration target (ICT) consists of a highly emissive, deep-cavity blackbody, utilizing a flight-proven, Advanced Baseline Imager heritage design. Temperature knowledge of the ICT is better than 40 millikelvin. A passive vibration isolation system is included to allow instrument operation in a 50 milli-G environment. The instrument optics are thermally decoupled from both the structure and the instrument electronics. The overall instrument design is modular, which allows for parallel assembly and rapid instrument integration.

Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) Specifications

Specifications
Spectral coverage 2,211 spectral channels from 3.92 μm to 15.38 μm
Resolution FOV 14 kilometer diameter with 1 kilometer vertical layer
Average data rate 2.41 megabits per second
Mass 147 kilograms
Average power 102 watts

Resources

  • Cross-track infrared sounder (CRIS)

    Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) Sell Sheet

  • Near Earth Orbit Network (NEON) Infrared (IR) Sounder Data Sheet

    Near Earth Orbit Network (NEON) Infrared (IR) Sounder Data Sheet

  • L3Harris Geo IR Sounder Sell Sheet Thumbnail

    Geostationary (GEO) Infrared (IR) Sounder Sell Sheet

Related Articles

NOAA's GOES-T Satellite

Press release | 05. 31. 2023

L3Harris Receives Contract to Support NOAA’s GOES-R Satellites

NOAA awarded L3Harris Technologies the Geostationary Ground Sustainment Services contract, valued at up to $275 million, to provide services that extend the functions of the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R (GOES-R) ground system.

NOAA's GOES-T Satellite

Press release | 05. 31. 2023

L3Harris Receives Contract to Support NOAA’s GOES-R Satellites

satellite in space

Press release | 04. 13. 2023

L3Harris to Build Geostationary Weather Satellite Sensors for Japan

Satellite hovers in space over earth and the eye of a hurricane

Press release | 03. 14. 2023

L3Harris to Design and Build NOAA's Next-Generation Geostationary Weather Imager

Hurricane Ian: Predicting Environmental Disasters Begins in Space

Editorial | 12. 21. 2022

Predicting Environmental Disasters Begins in Space

L3Harris CrIS instrument observes infrared channels, providing comprehensive temperature and moisture information to improve weather models.

Press release | 11. 10. 2022

L3Harris Infrared Weather Forecasting Technology Launches on NOAA Satellite

Related Domains & Industries

Solutions that solve our customers' toughest challenges.
view all capabilities

Contact the Weather Team

Address