Testing Smile’s ultraviolet camera

In July 2025, engineers at ESA’s technical heart, ESTEC, tested that the cover of the Smile spacecraft’s ultraviolet imager (UVI) still opens as expected. The test confirmed that the spring that opens the mechanism is still springy and nothing else has deformed over time.

UVI will be the first-ever space camera to record the northern lights in ultraviolet light for 44 hours at a time. These photos will help us understand how magnetic storms in Earth’s magnetosphere lead to auroras.

Read more about the final stages of the Smile test campaign

[Image description: Front view of a spacecraft instrument covered in shiny silver and gold thermal foil. At the centre is a large black circular opening, surrounded by gold material, resembling a telescope aperture. Above it sits a smaller round, frosted disc mounted on a bracket. Other metallic components and wiring are visible around the structure.]