Discover Leicester's mission to Mercury at New Scientist Live

Visitors to New Scientist Live next month will have the opportunity to learn about Leicester’s contribution to the current ESA/JAXA mission to Mercury, BepiColombo.

Researchers at the University of Leicester developed the spacecraft’s Mercury Imaging X-ray spectrometer (MIXS) instrument, the first imaging X-ray instrument to visit another planetary body. MIXS will observe the surface of Mercury from the BepiColombo Mercury Planetary Orbiter, which launched in October 2018, in order to determine the surface composition and the complex interaction between Mercury and its environment.

Academics and students from our School of Physics and Astronomy will be at New Scientist Live demonstrating how craters are formed and explaining their importance in identifying the composition of planets. We’ll also have a full size replica of MIXS for you to explore.

New Scientist Live is an award-winning, mind-blowing festival of ideas and discoveries for everyone curious about science and why it matters. The event runs at ExCel in London over 10-13 October 2019.