The Venus Emissivity Mapper (VEM): instrument design and development for VERITAS and EnVision

We report on the current Venus Emissivity Mapper (VEM) instrument design and development status onboard NASAs Venus Emissivity, Radio science, InSAR, Topography, And Spectroscopy (VERITAS) and ESAs EnVision orbiters. The VEM instrument is a push broom multispectral imager that comprises an optical system based on a sophisticated filter assembly with 14 spectral bands and an InGaAs detector with integrated thermoelectric cooler. A turn window mechanism and a two-staged baffle in front of the optics protect the instrument against contamination and straylight. The instruments nominal mass is approximately 6 kg. VEM opens the path for mapping Venus with a global coverage of >70%.