LYRA is a solar X and UV filter photometer, designed and manufactured by a Belgian–Swiss consortium. It monitors the solar irradiance in four passbands relevant to Solar Physics, Space Weather and Aeronomy:
- the 115-125 nm Lyman-αlpha channel,
- the 200-220 nm Herzberg continuum channel,
- the Aluminium filter channel (17-50 nm) including the strong He II at 30.4 nm, and
- the Zirconium filter channel (1-20 nm), rejecting He II.
LYRA will benefit from wide bandgap detectors based on diamond: it will be the first space assessment of the pioneering BOLD detector development program. Diamond makes the sensors radiation-hard and solar-blind: its large bandgap energy makes them quasi-insensitive to visible light.
The SWAP EUV imaging telescope will operate next to LYRA on PROBA2. Together, they enable high performance solar monitoring for operational space weather nowcast and for research.