Risk mitigation of FTS systems for space applications

Historically, Fourier transform spectrometers (FTS) were considered high-risk sensors for space applications. In order to make FTS systems suitable for space missions, a rigorous risk mitigation program was initiated by NOAA that led to the design, development, and hardware validation of the Geostationary High-resolution Infrared Spectrometer (GHIS). Risk mitigation is the process of continuously identifying and tracking the higher-risk elements of a program, while taking active measures to reduce risk of existing elements or to identify lower risk solutions. The GHIS program included the following major areas: (a) identification of key risk areas, (b) selection of technology demonstrations or analyses to reduce the risk of targeted items, and (c) continuous tracking of the key risk items identified above. This paper describes the selected risk management process applied to the GHIS program, parallel company-sponsored development of an interferometer system, various upgrades, and performance validations applied to the initial system as the means for risk mitigation.