Annual Reports

PublicationsAnnual Reports

2023

Events / Highlights 2023

  • The year started with the integration of our DARA instrument to the ESA spacecraft, PROBA-3. This will be launched in 2024 from India.
  • During the World Economic Forum (WEF) in January 2023, Davos, we had a visit from the ESA Director General and the astronaut, Matthias Maurer. This was organised by the Swiss Space Office and ETH, and showcased Space projects at PMOD/WRC and ETH.
  • The ESA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) space mission celebrated the 10,000th day in space in April with PMOD/WRC’s instrument, Virgo, still operational. Beginning in early 1996, VIRGO now has the longest space-based measurement record for Total Solar Irradiance – a key measurement for climate models.

 

  • If you would like to have a printed copy sent to you, then please get in touch with us at:
  • team-office@pmodwrc.ch

2022

Events / Highlights 2022

  • The Solar Orbiter mission reached a major milestone in 2022, reaching its first science perihelion in March/April and the second in October.
  • Julian Gröbner and Natalia Kouremeti received the Dr. Vilho Väisälä Award for an outstanding research paper on instruments and methods of observation.
  • The 17th Regional Brewer Calibration Campaign for Europe (RBCC-E) took place from 22 – 31 August 2022 at PMOD/WRC. The World Brewer reference, B145, participated in a RBCC-E for the first time that will allow a direct comparison of the European with the World reference.

 

  • If you would like to have a printed copy sent to you, then please get in touch with us at:
  • team-office@pmodwrc.ch

2021

Events / Highlights 2021

  • The 13th International Pyrheliometer Comparison (IPC-XIII) took place in September 2021. Alongside that was the 5th Filter Radiometer comparison (FRC-V) and the 3rd International Pyrgeometer Comparison (IPgC-III).
  • The Chinese Fengyun-3E spacecraft was successfully launched in July 2021. The PMOD/WRC instrument, Joint Total Solar Irradiance Monitor Digital Absolute Radiometer (JTSIM-DARA), is onboard and operational.
  • The final transfer of instruments from Arosa to Davos took place – ensuring the future measurement of the ozone time-series.

 

  • If you would like to have a printed copy sent to you, then please get in touch with us at:
  • team-office@pmodwrc.ch

2020

Events / Highlights 2020

  • The Solar Orbiter space mission was launched successfully, and all instruments switched on.
  • The SOHO space mission and PMOD/WRC VIRGO instrument onboard has been operating successfully for 25 years, with new machine learning code developed to correct for long term degradation.
  • Improvements on the cryogenic radiometer (CSAR and MITRA) have started in order to establish the new primary standard for ground-based solar irradiance measurements and to replace the World Standard Group (WSG).

 

  • If you would like to have a printed copy sent to you, then please get in touch with us at:
  • team-office@pmodwrc.ch