The SuperCam Infrared Spectrometer for the Perseverance Rover of the Mars2020 mission

TL;DR

The paper describes the design, capabilities, and expected performance of the SuperCam Infrared Spectrometer on the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover, which analyzes Martian mineralogy remotely within Jezero crater.

Contribution

It introduces a new IR spectrometer integrated with SuperCam, enabling detailed mineralogical studies and supporting sample collection on Mars.

Findings

Spectral resolution of 5-20 nm across 1.3-2.6 μm range

Field-of-view of 1.15 mrad aligned with other sensors

Designed for remote and close-up mineral analysis

Abstract

We present the Infrared spectrometer of SuperCam Instrument Suite that enables the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover to study remotely the Martian mineralogy within the Jezero crater. The SuperCam IR spectrometer is designed to acquire spectra in the 1.3-2.6 $\mu$m domain at a spectral resolution ranging from 5 to 20~nm. The field-of-view of 1.15 mrad, is coaligned with the boresights of the other remote-sensing techniques provided by SuperCam: laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, remote time-resolved Raman and luminescence spectroscopies, and visible reflectance spectroscopy, and micro-imaging. The IR spectra can be acquired from the robotic-arm workspace to long-distances, in order to explore the mineralogical diversity of the Jezero crater, guide the Perseverance Rover in its sampling task, and to document the samples' environment. We present the design, the performance, the radiometric calibration, and the anticipated operations at the surface of Mars.