Interferometric technique for measuring upper atmospheric Doppler winds utilizing projections of a satellite's velocity

A method comprising:

• providing on a satellite a fixed-path Michelson interferometer, the Michelson interferometer comprising an input, at least one first output detector, and at least one second output detector, the Michelson interferometer comprising a plurality of respective fields of view and a corresponding plurality of scanning azimuthal angles from a satellite velocity vector, the plurality of respective fields of view corresponding to a plurality of constant tangent points on an Earth horizon circle;
• sweeping through the plurality of respective fields of view around the horizon circle by one of rotating the satellite using an attitude determination and control system and rotating, using an actuator, at least one of an input mirror and input optics communicating with the input of the Michelson interferometer;
• detecting using the at least one first output detector a first raw detector data, and detecting using the at least one second output detector a second raw detector data;
• generating a combined interferogram based on the first raw detector data and the second raw detector data;
• determining an unwrapped phase from the combined interferogram;
• determining a zero wind phase;
• correcting the unwrapped phase based on the zero wind phase;
• generating a wind-induced fringe phase difference by subtracting a satellite velocity-induced fringe phase from the corrected unwrapped phase;
• and
• generating from the wind-induced fringe phase difference a wind speed vector component for the each respective field of view of the plurality of respective fields of view.