1,1,1,- 1Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA), Space Science and Payloads, Madrid, Spain (apestiguepv@inta.es)
- *A full list of authors appears at the end of the abstract
The understanding of Uranus' atmosphere remains incomplete, primarily derived from ground-based observations, space telescope data, and the Voyager 2 flyby nearly three decades ago. The latest Decadal Survey [1] has highlighted a mission to Uranus as a top scientific priority, emphasizing the need for dedicated instruments to study its atmospheric composition, thermal structure, and cloud dynamics.
The Uranus Multi-Experiment Radiometer (UMR) [2] is a lightweight, high-performance instrument designed for integration into the descent probe of this future mission [3]. Its primary objective is to investigate the vertical distribution of aerosols, including hazes and clouds, and their microphysical and scattering properties. These aerosols critically impact Uranus' energy balance, modulating solar radiation absorption and reflection.
Despite the UMR building upon heritage from previous Mars exploration [4-6] missions, a dedicated technology readiness program has been launched to qualify all instrument technologies for the harsh environment they will endure during the mission. In this contribution, we will present the current status and advancements of this program, along with the detailed design of the instrument.
V. Apéstigue, D. Toledo1, P. Irwin2, P. Rannou3, A. Gonzalo1, S. Andrés1, O. Gutierrez de la Camara, F. Muñoz, A. García-Llases, G. Jungst, N.J. Martínez-Oter1, J. Ceballos-Cáceres5, J. Azcue1, J.J. Jiménez1, J.R. de Mingo1, F. Serrano1, J. Nuñez1, E. Muñoz, 1, J. Torres-Redondo1, M. Yela1, M. Sorribas1, E. Sebastian1,4, D. Vázquez-García de la Vega5, S. Espejo5, A. Ragel5, I. Arruego1 1 Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA). Torrejón de Ardoz. Madrid. Spain. 2 Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Parks Rd, Oxford, OX1 3PU, UK. 3Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Reims, France. 4 Centro de Astrobiología (INTA-CSIC). 5 Instituto de Microelectrónica de Sevilla. Sevilla. Spain.
How to cite: Apéstigue, V., Toledo, D., and Arruego, I. and the UMR Team: The Uranus Multi-Experiment Radiometer for Haze and Clouds Characterization: development status, EPSC-DPS Joint Meeting 2025, Helsinki, Finland, 7–12 Sep 2025, EPSC-DPS2025-1491, https://doi.org/10.5194/epsc-dps2025-1491, 2025.
