Gaia Data Release 2

Gaia Radial Velocity Spectrometer

¹ Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London, Holmbury St Mary, Dorking, Surrey RH5 6NT, UK
e-mail: m.cropper@ucl.ac.uk
² GEPI, Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, CNRS, 5 Place Jules Janssen, 92190 Meudon, France
³ ESA, European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC), Keplerlaan 1, 2201 AG Noordwijk, The Netherlands
⁴ Airbus Defence and Space, 31 Rue des Cosmonautes, 31402 Toulouse Cedex, France
⁵ Scientific Support Office, Directorate of Science, European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESA/ESTEC), Keplerlaan 1, 2201 AZ, Noordwijk, The Netherlands
⁶ INAF – National Institute of Astrophysics, Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, Osservatorio Astronomico 6, 36012 Asiago, Italy
⁷ Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana, Jadranska ulica 19, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
⁸ Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK
⁹ INAF - Padova Observatory, Vicolo dell’Osservatorio 5, 35122 Padova, Italy
¹⁰ Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, 38205 La Laguna, Tenerife, Islas Canarias, Spain
¹¹ Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP), An der Sternwarte 16, 14482 Potsdam, Germany
¹² Royal Observatory of Belgium, Ringlaan 3, 1180 Brussels, Belgium
¹³ Max Planck Institut für Sonnensystemforschung, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 3, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
¹⁴ Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Bordeaux, Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, B18N, Allée Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 33615 Pessac, France
¹⁵ Laboratoire Univers et Particules de Montpellier, Université Montpellier, Place Eugène Bataillon, CC72, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 05, France
¹⁶ Thales Services, 290 Allée du Lac, 31670 Labège, France
¹⁷ Department of Astronomy, University of Geneva, Chemin d’Ecogia 16, 1290 Versoix, Switzerland
¹⁸ Centre National d’Études Spatiales, 18 Avenue Edouard Belin, 31400 Toulouse, France
¹⁹ Laboratoire Lagrange, Université Nice Sophia-Antipolis, Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur, CNRS, CS 34229, 06304 Nice Cedex, France
²⁰ Universiteit Antwerpen, Onderzoeksgroep Toegepaste Wiskunde, Middelheimlaan 1, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
²¹ Institut d’Astrophysique et de Géophysique, Université de Liège, 19c, Allée du 6 Août, 4000 Liège, Belgium
²² F.R.S.-FNRS, Rue d’Egmont 5, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
²³ CRAAG - Centre de Recherche en Astronomie, Astrophysique et Géophysique, Route de l’Observatoire, Bp 63 Bouzareah, 16340 Algiers, Algeria

Received: 3 February 2018
Accepted: 21 February 2018

Abstract

This paper presents the specification, design, and development of the Radial Velocity Spectrometer (RVS) on the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission. Starting with the rationale for the full six dimensions of phase space in the dynamical modelling of the Galaxy, the scientific goals and derived top-level instrument requirements are discussed, leading to a brief description of the initial concepts for the instrument. The main part of the paper is a description of the flight RVS, considering the optical design, the focal plane, the detection and acquisition chain, and the as-built performance drivers and critical technical areas. After presenting the pre-launch performance predictions, the paper concludes with the post-launch developments and mitigation strategies, together with a summary of the in-flight performance at the end of commissioning.