Microwave Radiometers for Deep Space radioscience experiments: Instrumental internal noise characterization

Abstract

The main focus of this study is the characterization of internal noise of the Microwave Radiometer (MWR) to be located at an ESA Deep Space Antenna (DSA) site, to accurately retrieve the tropospheric path delay along the line-of-sight of the deep space probe. This would enable precise tropospheric calibration of radiometric observables (range and range-rate) with particular reference to the BepiColombo SIC and the Cebreros (S) DSA. The characterization of current MWRs technologies has been based on a detailed analysis of data collected at Cabauw (NL) remote sensing site with the available instruments.