The Sunrise Mission

TL;DR

The paper details the design, preparation, and execution of the Sunrise balloon-borne telescope's first science flight, including hardware components, calibration, and in-flight performance.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of the Sunrise mission's hardware, calibration, and flight performance, highlighting advancements in balloon-borne solar observation technology.

Findings

Successful first science flight conducted in 2009

In-flight performance met design expectations

Instrument calibration and ground preparations were effective

Abstract

The first science flight of the balloon-borne \Sunrise telescope took place in June 2009 from ESRANGE (near Kiruna/Sweden) to Somerset Island in northern Canada. We describe the scientific aims and mission concept of the project and give an overview and a description of the various hardware components: the 1-m main telescope with its postfocus science instruments (the UV filter imager SuFI and the imaging vector magnetograph IMaX) and support instruments (image stabilizing and light distribution system ISLiD and correlating wavefront sensor CWS), the optomechanical support structure and the instrument mounting concept, the gondola structure and the power, pointing, and telemetry systems, and the general electronics architecture. We also explain the optimization of the structural and thermal design of the complete payload. The preparations for the science flight are described, including AIV and ground calibration of the instruments. The course of events during the science flight is outlined, up to the recovery activities. Finally, the in-flight performance of the instrumentation is briefly summarized.