CCD Group

 

Solar X-ray Imager (SXI)

The Solar X-ray Imager is being developed by the Lockheed Martin Solar and Astrophysics Laboratory (LMSAL). SXI will provide near real-time imaging of the Solar Corona in the spectral range of 6 Å to 60 Å (~0.2 to 2KeV) allowing investigation of solar features such as active regions, magnetic loops and coronal holes. SXI is being developed for the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and will fly on the GOES (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite) N and O satellites. It is anticipated that images from SXI will contribute towards improving our understanding of how the behaviour of the Sun can affect the "space weather" and its subsequent impact on the Earth.

LMSAL will be using CCDs developed by Marconi Applied Technologies (formerly EEV) in Chelmsford, UK. LMSAL have placed a subcontract with MSSL both to manage the procurement of these devices and to perform some characterisation on them additional to the characterisation provided by Marconi.

The CCD used in the SXI imager is the Marconi CCD 64, some of the key features of which are as follows:
 



Above: The GOES satellite. Mainly a weather satellite but the X-ray sensor (The SXI instrument) is always pointed at the sun.
 

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This page is maintained by Chris McFee