_version_ 1866914306006712320
author Rehm, Timothy D.
Altermatt, Caitlyn
Bernard, Lee
Bocchieri, Andrea
Butler, Nathaniel
Carey, Oliver
Challener, Ryan C.
Hartley, John
Helson, Kyle R.
Kelly, Daniel P.
Klangboonkrong, Kanchita
Korotkov, Andrei L.
Lally, Maura
Leong, Edward
Lewis, Nikole K.
Li, Steven
Line, Michael
Maher, Stephen F.
McClelland, Ryan
Mugnai, Lorenzo V.
Nagler, Peter C.
Netterfield, C. Barth
Parmentier, Vivien
Pascale, Enzo
Patience, Jennifer
Romualdez, L. Javier
Scowen, Paul A.
Tucker, Gregory S.
Waldmann, Ingo
author_facet Rehm, Timothy D.
Altermatt, Caitlyn
Bernard, Lee
Bocchieri, Andrea
Butler, Nathaniel
Carey, Oliver
Challener, Ryan C.
Hartley, John
Helson, Kyle R.
Kelly, Daniel P.
Klangboonkrong, Kanchita
Korotkov, Andrei L.
Lally, Maura
Leong, Edward
Lewis, Nikole K.
Li, Steven
Line, Michael
Maher, Stephen F.
McClelland, Ryan
Mugnai, Lorenzo V.
Nagler, Peter C.
Netterfield, C. Barth
Parmentier, Vivien
Pascale, Enzo
Patience, Jennifer
Romualdez, L. Javier
Scowen, Paul A.
Tucker, Gregory S.
Waldmann, Ingo
contents The EXoplanet Climate Infrared TElescope (EXCITE) is a balloon-borne mission dedicated to measuring spectroscopic phase curves of hot Jupiter-type exoplanets. Phase curve measurements can be used to characterize an exoplanet's longitude-dependent atmospheric composition and energy circulation patterns. EXCITE carries a 0.5 m primary mirror and moderate resolution diffraction-limited spectrograph with spectral coverage from 0.8--3.5 um. EXCITE is designed to fly from a long-duration balloon (LDB). EXCITE will observe through the peak of a target's spectral energy distribution (SED) and through spectral signatures of hydrogen and carbon-containing molecules. In this paper, we present the science goals of EXCITE, detail the as-built instrument, and discuss its performance during a 2024 engineering flight from Fort Sumner, New Mexico.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2602_04840
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle The EXoplanet Climate Infrared TElescope (EXCITE): A balloon-borne mission to measure spectroscopic phase curves of transiting hot Jupiters
Rehm, Timothy D.
Altermatt, Caitlyn
Bernard, Lee
Bocchieri, Andrea
Butler, Nathaniel
Carey, Oliver
Challener, Ryan C.
Hartley, John
Helson, Kyle R.
Kelly, Daniel P.
Klangboonkrong, Kanchita
Korotkov, Andrei L.
Lally, Maura
Leong, Edward
Lewis, Nikole K.
Li, Steven
Line, Michael
Maher, Stephen F.
McClelland, Ryan
Mugnai, Lorenzo V.
Nagler, Peter C.
Netterfield, C. Barth
Parmentier, Vivien
Pascale, Enzo
Patience, Jennifer
Romualdez, L. Javier
Scowen, Paul A.
Tucker, Gregory S.
Waldmann, Ingo
Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
The EXoplanet Climate Infrared TElescope (EXCITE) is a balloon-borne mission dedicated to measuring spectroscopic phase curves of hot Jupiter-type exoplanets. Phase curve measurements can be used to characterize an exoplanet's longitude-dependent atmospheric composition and energy circulation patterns. EXCITE carries a 0.5 m primary mirror and moderate resolution diffraction-limited spectrograph with spectral coverage from 0.8--3.5 um. EXCITE is designed to fly from a long-duration balloon (LDB). EXCITE will observe through the peak of a target's spectral energy distribution (SED) and through spectral signatures of hydrogen and carbon-containing molecules. In this paper, we present the science goals of EXCITE, detail the as-built instrument, and discuss its performance during a 2024 engineering flight from Fort Sumner, New Mexico.
title The EXoplanet Climate Infrared TElescope (EXCITE): A balloon-borne mission to measure spectroscopic phase curves of transiting hot Jupiters
topic Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.04840