Skip to main content    

An official website of the United States government

Here’s how you know

**Official websites use .gov**              A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.            

**Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**              A **lock** (  LockA locked padlock) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.            

https://www.nist.gov/measuring-cosmos/libera

            -  Topics  -  All Topics 
-  Advanced communications 
-  Artificial intelligence 
-  Bioscience 
-  Buildings and construction 
-  Chemistry 
-  Climate 
-  Cybersecurity 
-  Electronics 
-  Energy 
-  Environment 
-  Fire 
-  Forensic science 
-  Health 
-  Information technology 
-  Infrastructure 
-  Manufacturing 
-  Materials 
-  Mathematics and statistics 
-  Metrology 
-  Nanotechnology 
-  Neutron research 
-  Performance excellence 
-  Physics 
-  Public safety 
-  Resilience 
-  Standards 
-  Transportation 
 
            -  Publications 
            -  Labs & Major Programs  -  Laboratories    -  Communications Technology Laboratory 
  -  Engineering Laboratory 
  -  Information Technology Laboratory 
  -  Material Measurement Laboratory 
  -  Physical Measurement Laboratory 
-  User Facilities    -  NIST Center for Neutron Research 
  -  CNST NanoFab 
-  Research Test Beds 
-  Research Projects 
-  Tools & Instruments 
-  Major Programs    -  Baldrige Performance Excellence Program 
  -  CHIPS for America Initiative 
  -  Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) 
  -  Office of Advanced Manufacturing 
  -  Special Programs Office 
  -  Technology Partnerships Office 
 
            -  Services & Resources  -  Standards and Measurements    -  Calibration Services 
  -  Laboratory Accreditation (NVLAP) 
  -  Quality System 
  -  Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) 
  -  Standards.gov 
  -  Time Services 
  -  Office of Weights and Measures 
-  Software 
-  Data    -  Chemistry WebBook 
  -  National Vulnerability Database 
  -  Physical Reference Data 
  -  Standard Reference Data (SRD) 
-  Storefront 
-  License & Patents 
-  Computer Security Resource Center (CSRC) 
-  NIST Research Library 
 
            -  News & Events  -  News 
-  Events 
-  Blogs 
-  Feature Stories 
-  Awards 
-  Video Gallery 
-  Image Gallery 
-  Media Contacts 
 
            -  About NIST  -  About Us    -  Leadership 
  -  Organization Structure 
  -  Budget & Planning 
-  Contact Us 
-  Visit 
-  Careers    -  Student programs 
-  Work with NIST 
-  History    -  NIST Digital Archives 
  -  NIST Museum 
  -  NIST and the Nobel 
-  Educational Resources 
 

## Measuring The Cosmos

-  Why NIST Is Going to Space 
-  Telescopes in Space  Expand or Collapse    -  Advanced Telescope for High Energy Astrophysics (ATHENA) 
  -  Compact Spectral Irradiance Monitor 
  -  Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) 
  -  Libera 
  -  LiteBIRD 
-  Telescopes on Earth  Expand or Collapse    -  Ali CMB Polarization Telescope (AliCPT) 
  -  Arizona Radio Observatory 
  -  Atacama Cosmology Telescope 
  -  BICEP and KECK Array 
  -  Balloon-Borne Large-Aperture Submillimeter Telescope: The Next Generation (BLAST-TNG) 
  -  Cosmic Microwave Background Stage 4 (CMB-S4) 
  -  Cosmology Large Angular Scale Surveyor (CLASS) 
  -  Fred Young Submillimeter Telescope 
  -  Hobby-Eberly Telescope 
  -  James Clerk Maxwell Telescope 
  -  Large Millimeter Telescope 
  -  NIST Stars 
  -  Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope 
  -  Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) 
  -  SPIDER 
  -  Simons Array/POLARBEAR 
  -  Simons Observatory 
  -  South Pole Telescope 
  -  WIYN Telescope 
  -  Airborne Lunar Spectral Irradiance (air-LUSI) Instrument 
  -  MLO Lunar Spectral Irradiance (MLO-LUSI) Project 
-  Telescope Locations 
-  Credits 

# Libera

## Share

Facebook

Linkedin

Twitter

Email

Credit:

## Telescope Details

Website

#### **Location:**

To be launched into polar orbit by 2027 on NOAA’s Joint Polar Satellite System-3 satellite. 

#### **Purpose:**

Libera will measure Earth’s radiation to continue and improve the decades-long data record of the balance between the Sun’s energy arriving at the Earth and the amount the Earth absorbs, reflects and emits back into space day by day. This balance is a key measurement for quantifying how the Earth’s climate changes over time.

#### **NIST’s role:**

NIST designed and built advanced detectors to more accurately measure the Earth’s radiation across a broadband light spectrum (0.3 to 200 micrometers) and link the results to international standards (the SI) to help calibrate measurements across all wavelengths. The detectors, to be mounted on four radiometers, will be made of metal patterned on silicon wafers with very black carbon nanotubes to absorb the incoming light.  

#### **Other interesting facts:**

In Roman mythology, Libera is the daughter of Ceres, goddess of agriculture. 

#### **Supported by:**

NASA Langley Research Center

#### **Operated by:**

Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, Ball Aerospace and Utah State University

## Media

Credit:

ElectronicsSensorsPhysics

### HEADQUARTERS

301-975-2000

Webmaster | Contact Us | Our Other Offices

TwitterFacebookLinkedInInstagramYouTubeGiphyRSS FeedMailing List

Feedback

            -  Site Privacy 
            -  Accessibility 
            -  Privacy Program 
            -  Copyrights 
            -  Vulnerability Disclosure 
            -  No Fear Act Policy 
            -  FOIA 
            -  Environmental Policy 
            -  Scientific Integrity 
            -  Information Quality Standards 
            -  Commerce.gov 
            -  Science.gov 
            -  USA.gov 
            -  Vote.gov