French space agency orders $10M in Teledyne infrared detectors, electronics for ESA mission to Jupiter

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. French government space agency officials at the Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES) in Paris needed infrared detectors and electronics for the European Space Agency (ESA) JUpiter ICy Moons Explorer (JUICE) mission to Jupiter. They found the needed electronics devices at Teledyne Scientific & Imaging (TS&I), a subsidiary of Teledyne Technologies Inc. (NYSE:TDY) in Thousand Oaks, California, awarding a $9.98 million contract.

JUICE is expected to launch in 2022 and reach Jupiter in 2030 to undertake a three and a half year study of Jupiter and three of its moons: Callisto, Ganymede, and Europa.

Teledyne will deliver infrared detectors and focal plane electronics to the Institut d’Astrophysique Spatiale (IAS) for use in the Moons And Jupiter Imaging Spectrometer (MAJIS) instrument that IAS engineers are developing for the JUICE mission.

MAJIS, one of 10 instruments in the JUICE science payload, will study the composition of Jupiter’s atmosphere and the surfaces of Jupiter’s satellites using two spectral channels that operate in the visible – near infrared (0.50 to 2.35 micron) and mid-infrared (2.25 to 5.20 micron) wavelengths.

The infrared detectors for this mission, Teledyne’s H1RG 1024×1024 pixel arrays, are a proven technology, officials say. Similar detectors are on several space missions including the Hubble Space Telescope, the WISE all-sky infrared survey, the Orbiting Carbon Observatory, and the OSIRIS-REx asteroid rendezvous mission. The focal plane electronics are based on Teledyne’s SIDECAR ASIC that is used by several space missions including the Hubble Space Telescope, the James Webb Space Telescope and ESA’s Euclid dark energy mission. Teledyne plans to deliver the detectors and electronics within 24 months.

“Teledyne is proud to be a partner in the MAJIS instrument and contribute to the success of ESA’s JUICE mission,” says Robert Mehrabian, chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Teledyne. “This mission exemplifies Teledyne’s commitment to exploration and discovery, from the ocean floor to deep space.”

Teledyne Scientific & Imaging is a high-technology enterprise with world-class research and development capabilities in imaging sensors, materials technology, electronics, and information science. TS&I performs research services for the U.S. Government and private sector companies, and manufactures and sells high value products that result from its research and development efforts.

Teledyne Technologies is a leading provider of sophisticated instrumentation, digital imaging products and software, aerospace and defense electronics, and engineered systems. Teledyne Technologies’ operations are primarily located in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Western and Northern Europe.

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