Near-Infrared Spectrometer (SIR-2 – ESA)
SIR-2 was a near-infrared grating spectrometer from ESA, built at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research together with the Polish Academy of Sciences and the University of Bergen. It mapped the mineral composition of the lunar surface, analysing reflected sunlight in the 0.9–2.4 µm range.
The instrument is similar to the SIR spectrometer flown on ESA's SMART-1 mission. It was activated on 19 November 2008, with scientific observations starting on 20 November 2008. SIR-2 studied the mineralogy of mare basalts, highland rocks and impact craters, complementing the M3 and HySI imagers.