Let’s learn about the Jupiter system with JANUS

The JANUS Team meets in Granada, at the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía, from the 25th to the 27th of February to hold its 7th Full Team Meeting. Scientists and engineers will discuss the technical performance of the instrument after its launch on April 14, 2023, as well as the images acquired during the JUICE Lunar-Earth Gravity Assist (LEGO on August 19, 2024) and the camera scientific operations for the future.
The JANUS instrument is a key player in the European Space Agency’s JUICE mission, focusing on exploring Jupiter and its icy moons—Ganymede, Europa, and Callisto. This advanced scientific camera system is designed to capture stunning high-resolution images across a broad spectrum from 340 nm to 1080 nm, allowing scientists to investigate everything from Jupiter’s tumultuous atmosphere to the unique surfaces of its moons. With an optical design based on a modified Ritchey-Chrétien telescope, JANUS combines a focal length of 467 mm with a decent field of view, enabling it to photograph a variety of cosmic phenomena.
A standout feature of JANUS is its 2000 x 1504-pixel CMOS sensor, which features a pixel size of just 7 µm. This means it can achieve impressive spatial resolution, capturing details from as close as 3 meters per pixel when imaging the Jovian moons. Whether it is looking at Ganymede’s icy crust or Europa’s potentially habitable ocean beneath its surface, JANUS provides researchers with the tools to analyse these celestial bodies in unprecedented detail.
One significant aspect of the contribution from the SCITECHSS engineering team involved is the Filter Wheel Mechanism (FWM) integration, which involves meticulously designed components to ensure precise function and reliability. The other technical contribution from the group is the design of the Power Supply Module (PSM) and the Mechanism Controller Module (MCM) constructed on the same Printed Circuit Board (PCB) layout.
From the scientific point of view, the JANUS Team will discuss reflectance measurements on ices, salts and darkening agents on the Galilean satellites, astrometry of small Jovian moons, possible synergies with instruments on board the JUICE spacecraft, ray and halo impact craters on Ganymede to decipher the satellite’s crustal structure, cross-calibration and Lunar surface change detection with JANUS and LRO, and a long etc.