BABAR

BABAR is a high-accuracy, high-precision, and high spatial resolution imaging radiometer from the ultraviolet through the longwave thermal infrared for high information content measurements of the radiation environment. BABAR’s unique capabilities and miniaturization facilitate flexible launch and observing strategies of Earth and planetary bodies. The BABAR Earth Radiation Imager (BABAR-ERI) was developed under NASA Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO) funding as a stepping-stone to enhance and accelerate current program-of-record radiation budget science and enable new Earth science discoveries in resolving clouds and radiation forcing and feedbacks. From lunar rovers or landers, BABAR’s measurements could provide temperature maps from the warmest lunar sunlit surfaces to the coldest permanently shadowed regions. From a Mars orbit, BABAR’s measurements could provide initial characterization of the radiation environment driving modern weather on the planet.

Coddington, O., Straatsma, C., Drake, G. et al. The Black Array of Broadband Absolute Radiometers Earth Radiation Imager: Science Requirements, Instrument Design, and Concept of Operations. Adv. Atmos. Sci. 43, 336–360 (2026) https://doi.org/10.1007/s00376-025-5049-6.