UK Space Agency Backs Missions to Study Stellar Influence on Habitable Worlds

UK Space Agency Backs Missions to Study Stellar Influence on Habitable Worlds
by Sophie Jenkins
London, UK (SPX) Aug 09, 2024

Two proposed UK space missions, led by the University of Leicester, aim to explore how the Sun and other stars influence the atmospheres, space weather, and potential habitability of planets. These missions could also provide insights into the space between stars, known as the interstellar medium.

The UK Space Agency has awarded nearly GBP 500,000 to teams at Space Park Leicester, a GBP 100 million science and innovation hub at the University of Leicester. This funding will help scientists develop two satellite missions that will investigate the impact of stellar activity, such as solar wind, on planets and their surrounding environments.

Stellar winds have a significant effect on exoplanetary environments, influencing the flow of material and cosmic rays from the Galactic environment, which in turn can affect planetary climates. Stars also contribute to the enrichment of the interstellar medium by recycling material back into space, thus increasing the Galactic metal content. Understanding these processes is crucial for assessing the habitability of planets and the evolution of stars and galaxies, yet they remain poorly understood.

The SIRIUS mission, which has been granted GBP 295,200, is designed to be a high-resolution extreme ultraviolet (EUV) spectrograph. This instrument will enable a broad range of astrophysical studies of nearby stars and the interstellar medium. SIRIUS will investigate hot gases in the 105-107 kelvin range, which are associated with stellar and interstellar processes, using the EUV range-an area not covered by any existing or planned instruments.

"SIRIUS is a very exciting mission scientifically, but also shows UK leadership in a pioneering approach to lowering the cost of space science. SIRIUS could be the first UK-led space science mission since Ariel 6 in 1979," said Professor Martin Barstow.

"A very important part of this project is working closely with our industrial partners, Oxford Space Systems and In-Space Missions. They will provide novel systems that enable us to deliver cost-effective high quality science," he added.

The SIRIUS mission is an international collaboration led by the University of Leicester, with contributions from institutions in Germany, Spain, Belgium, and the UAE. Support for the science programme is being provided by the University of Cambridge and the Open University. In-Space Missions, a subsidiary of BAE Systems Digital Intelligence, will handle the spacecraft and operations, while Oxford Space Systems will develop the telescope deployment system.

Elfen, the second proposed mission, will focus on studying the Earth's magnetosphere, particularly how it is influenced by solar wind heavy ions. These ions, which include nearly or fully-stripped atoms like hydrogen-like or helium-like carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen, can cause X-ray emissions near Earth and interact with the planet's upper atmosphere.

Elfen has received GBP 200,000 in funding from the UK Space Agency. This CubeSat mission, carrying a spectrometer from the University of Michigan and a magnetometer from Imperial College London, will orbit at a distance of 76,000 km, or 12 Earth radii, for a one-year mission. The deep space region Elfen will explore is increasingly important due to rising interest in space weather and near-Earth space travel, especially as missions to the Moon become more prevalent.

"Elfen is a novel, cost-effective yet high-value science mission which strengthens the UK and US relationship, building upon UK research strengths in deep space exploration, space weather and CubeSat platforms," said Dr. Jennifer Carter, Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellow at the University of Leicester School of Physics and Astronomy.

"The impact of solar wind heavy ions on the coupled Sun-Earth system is poorly understood. We also don't understand how heavy ions enter the nightside, or tail region, of the Earth's magnetosphere. Elfen would answer both these questions. Also, Elfen supports future missions such as SMILE which uses the X-ray emission that results from the interaction of the solar wind heavy ions with hydrogen around the Earth to image large areas of the magnetosphere," Dr. Carter explained.