A simulator of the MAJIS instrument onboard the JUICE mission: description and application to operational and scientific cases
Abstract
The MAJIS (Moons And Jupiter Imaging Spectrometer) instrument, part of the JUICE (JUpiter ICy moons Explorer) mission, is a crucial tool for investigating the composition and dynamics of Jupiter's atmosphere, and the surfaces and exospheres of its icy moons. To optimize observational planning and assess instrument performance, we have developed a radiometric simulator that accurately models MAJIS expected signal from various Jovian system targets. This simulator incorporates instrumental parameters, the spacecraft trajectory, observational constraints, and Jupiter's radiation environment. It provides essential outputs, including Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) predictions and optimized instrument settings for different observational scenarios. By simulating both radiometric performance and de-spiking strategies to mitigate the impact of Jupiter radiation belt, the tool aids in refining observation strategies throughout the MAJIS operations. Several scientific applications demonstrate the simulator capabilities, from mapping the surfaces of Ganymede and Europa to detecting exospheric emissions and atmospheric composition on Jupiter. This simulator is a critical asset for maximizing MAJIS scientific return and ensuring optimal data acquisition during MAJIS exploration of the Jovian system. Study cases are presented for illustrating the capability of the simulator to model scenarios such as high-resolution mapping of Ganymede, exosphere characterization and hotspot detection on Io and Europa. These simulations confirm the potential of MAJIS for detecting key spectral features with high signal to noise ratio so as to provide major contributions to the main goals of the mission: habitability and compositional diversity in the Jovian system.
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BibTeX
@article{royer2026simulator,
title = {{A simulator of the MAJIS instrument onboard the JUICE mission: description and application to operational and scientific cases}},
author = {C. Royer and P. Haffoud and Yves Langevin and François Poulet and D. Bockelée-Morvan and E. D’aversa and M. Cisneros-González and D. Grassi and N. Ligier and G. Piccioni and J. Carter and F. Tosi and M. Vincendon and F. Zambon and V. Zakharov and M. Gilles and Benoît Seignovert},
journal = {Planetary and Space Science},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1016/j.pss.2025.106147},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05753696v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - A simulator of the MAJIS instrument onboard the JUICE mission: description and application to operational and scientific cases
AU - C. Royer
AU - P. Haffoud
AU - Yves Langevin
AU - François Poulet
AU - D. Bockelée-Morvan
AU - E. D’aversa
AU - M. Cisneros-González
AU - D. Grassi
AU - N. Ligier
AU - G. Piccioni
AU - J. Carter
AU - F. Tosi
AU - M. Vincendon
AU - F. Zambon
AU - V. Zakharov
AU - M. Gilles
AU - Benoît Seignovert
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/17
JO - Planetary and Space Science
DO - 10.1016/j.pss.2025.106147
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05753696v1
AB - The MAJIS (Moons And Jupiter Imaging Spectrometer) instrument, part of the JUICE (JUpiter ICy moons Explorer) mission, is a crucial tool for investigating the composition and dynamics of Jupiter's atmosphere, and the surfaces and exospheres of its icy moons. To optimize observational planning and assess instrument performance, we have developed a radiometric simulator that accurately models MAJIS expected signal from various Jovian system targets. This simulator incorporates instrumental parameters, the spacecraft trajectory, observational constraints, and Jupiter's radiation environment. It provides essential outputs, including Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) predictions and optimized instrument settings for different observational scenarios. By simulating both radiometric performance and de-spiking strategies to mitigate the impact of Jupiter radiation belt, the tool aids in refining observation strategies throughout the MAJIS operations. Several scientific applications demonstrate the simulator capabilities, from mapping the surfaces of Ganymede and Europa to detecting exospheric emissions and atmospheric composition on Jupiter. This simulator is a critical asset for maximizing MAJIS scientific return and ensuring optimal data acquisition during MAJIS exploration of the Jovian system. Study cases are presented for illustrating the capability of the simulator to model scenarios such as high-resolution mapping of Ganymede, exosphere characterization and hotspot detection on Io and Europa. These simulations confirm the potential of MAJIS for detecting key spectral features with high signal to noise ratio so as to provide major contributions to the main goals of the mission: habitability and compositional diversity in the Jovian system.
SN - 0032-0633
ER -