Space Park Leicester featured in ESA’s new video series on the SMILE mission
Team pic following successful integration of the Soft X-Ray Imager (SXI) Telescope and electronic units. L-R: Andy Cheney; Adam White; Steve Leach; Tony Crawford.
Space Park Leicester’s ground-breaking work on the Soft X-ray Imager (SXI) for the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE) mission will be featured in ESA’s new video series, with the first episode premiering this week.
The SXI, which was developed and built in collaboration with the University of Leicester, the Mullard Space Science Laboratory, the Open University, and European partners, will play a central role in the SMILE mission by capturing the first-ever long-duration X-ray images of the solar wind interacting with Earth’s magnetic field.
SMILE is the first instrument to be delivered using facilities at Space Park Leicester, as the Assembly, Integration and Test (AIT) Team successfully integrated space-flight subsystems to complete the SXI Telescope within a purpose-built cleanroom.
This pioneering instrument will provide unprecedented insights into the dynamic processes between Earth’s magnetosphere and the solar wind, deepening our understanding of space weather and its impact on Earth.
Dr Steven Sembay, SMILE SXI Principal Investigator at the University of Leicester, said: “The SXI is a powerful yet compact X-ray telescope that posed unique design challenges due to the constraints and extreme conditions of space. Our team, alongside international collaborators, rose to these challenges, delivering a truly world-class instrument that will enable us to visualise previously hidden structures around Earth.”
Dr Jennifer Carter from the University of Leicester’s School of Physics and Astronomy added: “Our planet’s magnetic field shelters us from the solar wind, creating a dynamic ‘magnetic shield.’ SMILE will allow us to observe this protective layer in unprecedented detail, and, for the first time, we will see how changes in this shield are linked to atmospheric effects, such as auroras, in real time.”
The first episode of ESA’s video series, titled ‘Let’s SMILE – the Mission (Episode 1)’, is now available to view.
It will provide a behind-the-scenes look at the spacecraft’s development and testing phases at Airbus in Madrid, where Space Park Leicester’s team was involved in the final handover of the SXI.
Viewers will hear from SMILE Project Manager David Agnolon and Project Scientist Philippe Escoubet as they discuss the mission’s goals and vision. Footage includes scenes of the SXI being integrated into the spacecraft’s payload module, marking a significant milestone for Space Park Leicester and UK space science.
Dr Colin Forsyth from Mullard Space Science Laboratory, SMILE Co-Principal Investigator, highlighted the importance of the SXI.
He said: “This instrument is crucial for SMILE’s innovative observations, revealing invisible structures around Earth that impact our everyday lives. Seeing SXI ready for space is thrilling for everyone involved in this mission.”
The SMILE mission, a collaboration between ESA and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), is set to launch in September 2025 on an ESA Vega-C rocket from Kourou, French Guiana. Supported by the UK Space Agency with approximately £13 million in funding, the SXI underscores the UK’s commitment to cutting-edge space science and technology that brings benefits back to Earth.
Dr Caroline Harper, Head of Space Science at the UK Space Agency, added: “This milestone is a testament to Space Park Leicester’s expertise and the exceptional contributions of the University of Leicester. The SXI will not only help us understand the solar wind but will also inform efforts to mitigate space weather risks, such as radio blackouts and power grid disruptions, by enhancing our understanding of how space weather interacts with Earth’s magnetosphere.”