Performance Analysis of Microwave Humidity and Temperature Sounder Onboard the FY-3D Satellite From Prelaunch Multiangle Calibration Data in Thermal/Vacuum Test

A newly designed thermal/vacuum (T/V) prelaunch multiangle calibration test is proposed for Microwave Humidity and Temperature Sounder (MWHTS) onboard the Feng Yun 3D satellite. Compared with other existing prelaunch calibration tests designed at fix scan angle, this test is first proposed to analyze the measurements of MWHTS from multiscan angles. A set of comprehensive calibration method is established and used for calibration data processing. The high-quality data preprocessing methods are performed. Essential calibration coefficients such as cold bias, hot bias, and nonlinearity coefficients, and calibration results such as calibration residual error, sensitivity, and calibration accuracy of MWHTS are all obtained and analyzed in MWHTS’s six observing positions. The measured sensitivity value of channel 2 is 1.5 K while the measured sensitivities of the others range from 0.18 to 0.57 K. The calibration accuracy of channel 2 is 1.5 K while the calibration accuracies of the others range from 0.32 to 0.7 K. According to the discrepancy of multiangle calibration test results, the radiation leakage and the response lag for special channels are discovered for the first time in T/V test, and the reasons of these two special phenomena are fully analyzed. Moreover, the measurements of the T/V test with fast changing instrument temperatures are analyzed and the applicability of nonlinearity coefficients obtained in T/V test for in-orbit calibration is verified. In conclusion, MWHTS meets the basic design requirements of sensitivity and calibration accuracy, the changing of the MWHTS observing positions does not impact the calibration coefficients and results, and the nonlinearity coefficients obtained in T/V test are valid when instrument temperature experiences some fast changing.