The space instrument SODISM, first results in space

PICARD is a French space scientific mission. Its objectives are the study of the origin of the solar variability and the study of the relationship between the Sun and the Earth's climate. PICARD was launched on June 15, 2010 on a Dnepr-1 launcher. SODISM (SOlar Diameter Imager and Surface Mapper), an instrument of the PICARD payload, is a high resolution radio-imaging telescope. SODISM allows us to measure the solar diameter and shape with an accuracy of a few milliarcseconds, and to perform helioseismologic observations to probe the solar interior. In this article, we describe the SODISM telescope and first results in space.