System-level approach to characterization and radiometric calibration of a space-based electro-optical sensor

A thorough system-level calibration should address calibration throughout a sensor’s lifetime, from the design phase through on-orbit operations. To accomplish this goal, an efficient, cost effective approach to calibration should be developed early in the sensor’s design stage. Through this approach, a thorough understanding of sensor performance is achieved, a complete calibration is obtained, and risks of not meeting measurement requirements are reduced.