SPICA/BLISS cryo-chain demonstrator

The Background Limited Infrared Submillimeter Spectrometer (BLISS) is an instrument proposed for SPICA, the Japanese-European space-borne telescope mission under study for a possible launch in the next decade. The BLISS concept is a suite of aluminum spectrometer modules totaling ∼10 kg cooled to 50 mK. Cooling this ambitious instrument with high-duty cycle within the stringent heat-rejection allocations envisioned for SPICA is a challenge. We have developed a solution consisting of two stages: (1) a continuous 300 mK intercept stage provided by two 3He sorption coolers operated sequentially, and (2) a 50 mK adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator (ADR) operated in single-shot mode. We have built a prototype cooler and demonstrated it in a dedicated SPICA-like thermal testbed with regulated stages enabling measurement of rejected heat at 1.7 K and 4.5 K. The approach offers lower mass than a dual-stage ADR, and lower rejected power to 1.7 K and 4.5 K than a comparable single-shot 300 mK system, while insuring a high duty cycle. As a demonstration of feasibility for SPICA and future cryogenic missions, we show long-term cooling with flight-like parasitics at 50 mK and 300 mK requiring only 3 mW and 8 mW rejected at 1.7 K and 4.5 K, respectively.