Leading the Way to Venus - Implementing the VenSpec Spectrometer Consortium aboard the EnVision Mission

Kurzfassung

VenSpec is a consortium of three spectrometers aboard ESAs EnVision mission to Venus that sets out to uncover the mysteries of our sister planet from the surface to the upper atmosphere. Designed for global spectroscopic studies of Venus' surface and atmosphere, the suite operates in the near-IR and UV spectral ranges to provide surface mineralogy and emissivity maps, monitor atmospheric composition with a focus on volcanogenic minor species, and search for evidence of active volcanism. The project was initiated in order to foster a joint science team between a large number of institutions, to allow the sharing of data, the exchange of knowledge and collaborative analysis of geologic and atmospheric processes that are inherently coupled. Over the course of the concept development, the project was expanded to encompass all areas of mission execution in order to maximize the science return for the Venus community. This collaborative approach that extends to all steps of the scientific value chain and at the same time remains lean enough to allow for efficient project execution is a unique feature of a project lead by a scientific institution. While the scientific goals of the consortium are described in detail in "Coupled Surface–Atmosphere Investigations of Venus with the VenSpec Suite aboard ESA’s EnVision Mission", this talk presents the formal, managerial and engineering implementation of the project.

VenSpec now fosters a common Operations Team that collaboratively plans operations, agrees on a joint commanding timeline and cooperates on resource allocation. This improves coherence of data sets, avoids conflicts over resources and allows the large and distributed team to respond in a rapid and concerted manner to dynamic events like the detection of a volcanic eruption.

In terms of engineering, the three spectrometers interface towards the spacecraft via a Central Control Unit (CCU) which provides power switching, unified commanding and data compression. While the electronics is designed for high reliability and prevention of failure propagation, the software concept ensures plannability, operability and usability. Particularly challenging constraints are the tight requirements for electromagnetic compatibility that have been put into place to prevent spurious interaction with the Subsurface Radar Sounder (SRS) and the SAR. This engineering collaboration is formalized via the VenSpec Systems Engineering Board which handles the requirement flowdown, interface documentation and acts as a single-point of contact to mission level for specific topics of relevance.

To ensure compliance to the mission schedule in this complex and geographically widely distributed consortium, the project managers coordinate on the schedules of the various units and the associated verification and validation activities. Combined functional verification and testing for electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) of the suite necessitate close cooperation and concerted reporting to ESA.

VenSpec is at the same time an idea, an agreement to openness and sharing, an integrated hardware unit and a formal structure with clear processes for decision making, on-ground and in-orbit.