The Global Ozone Monitoring by Occultation of Stars (GOMOS) instrument on ENVISAT

GOMOS (for Global Ozone Monitoring by Occultation of Stars) is a medium resolution spectrometer designed to measure the concentrations of, and monitor the trends in, stratospheric ozone with very high accuracy and to observe other atmospheric trace gases. Using the star occultation technique, GOMOS combines the features of self-calibration, high vertical resolution and good global coverage. Due to its high sensitivity down to 250 nm, which is one of its main design drivers, GOMOS can measure ozone profiles from 15 km to 90 km. Accessible altitude ranges, accuracy and global coverage are optimum on the night side. In addition, it can measure atmospheric turbulence, which is of interest for understanding the vertical exchange of energy in the Earth's atmosphere. GOMOS is an ESA-payload for the environmental satellite ENVISAT. It has been recently delivered for integration on the spacecraft. This paper gives a summary of the design and the performance of the GOMOS instrument.