<i>Gaia</i>Data Release 2

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.

Affiliated Institutions

• Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux FR
• Centre National d'Études Spatiales FR
• Airbus (France) FR
• University of Liège BE
• University of Ljubljana SI
• Galaxies, Etoiles, Physique et Instrumentation FR
• University College London GB
• University of Geneva CH
• Centre de Recherche en Astronomie Astrophysique et Géophysique DZ
• European Space Research and Technology Centre NL
• Université de Montpellier FR
• Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique FR
• Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias ES
• University of Leicester GB
• University of Antwerp BE
• Royal Observatory of Belgium BE
• Thales (Australia) AU
• Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur FR
• Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova IT
• Observatoire de Paris FR
• Université de Bordeaux FR
• Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research DE
• Laboratoire Univers et Particules de Montpellier FR
• Université Paris Sciences et Lettres FR
• National Institute for Astrophysics IT
• Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam DE
• Fund for Scientific Research BE

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