Airbus to build ESA’s Vigil space weather forecasting mission
ESA has signed a contract with Airbus Defence & Space UK worth €340 million for the development of its Vigil satellite. From its unique vantage point in deep space, Vigil ...
14 NOV. 2024
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ESA’s space weather forecasting mission Vigil will monitor our active and unpredictable Sun to protect vital infrastructure on Earth and in space as well as space explorers from its violent outbursts. Vigil is planned for launch in 2031.
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Solar Orbiter at perihelion in 2022
Mission objectives
The Earth’s magnetic field deflects the majority of the charged particles and solar wind emitted by the Sun, while the atmosphere filters out the dangerous wavelengths of the Sun’s electromagnetic radiation − such as Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV), X-rays and gamma rays. This makes it essential to measure and observe in space with remote sensors to complement ground-based observations.
The key added value of Vigil’s data on potentially damaging solar activity is the result of its unique vantage point in deep space. Vigil will keep constant watch of the Sun from its orbit around the Lagrange point L5 in deep space.
Looking at the Sun and Earth from L5, Vigil – once known as ‘Lagrange’ – can observe much more clearly the speed, direction and chance of impact of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) as they hurtle through space from the Sun to Earth. From there it can also see the ‘side’ of the Sun and observe activity on the surface of the Sun days before it rotates into view and can be detected from the Sun-Earth line.
Solar wind, the stream of energized, charged particles flowing outward from the Sun, will be forecast up to five days in advance.
As it feeds into the ESA Space Weather Service Network, the data from Vigil at L5 will be combined with available data from the Sun-Earth line, including spacecraft like SOHO orbiting L1, resulting in more detailed and precise forecasts for end users across industries.
ESA’s space weather forecasting mission Vigil will monitor our active and unpredictable Sun to protect vital infrastructure on Earth and in space as well as space explorers from its violent outbursts. Vigil is planned for launch in 2031.
Forecasting space weather effects
“Without warning, space weather storms can cause potentially serious health problems for astronauts and the economic impact of space weather can be extensive, especially as we come to rely more and more on critical technologies underlying navigation, banking, aviation, power grids and telecommunications,” says Holger Krag, Head of the Space Safety Programme at ESA.
“Depending on the severity of an event, damages can reach more than several hundreds of billions of euros in case of an event of comparable magnitude as the biggest one we know, the 1859 Carrington Event.”
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Space weather effects
ESA’s space weather forecasting mission Vigil will monitor our active and unpredictable Sun to protect vital infrastructure on Earth and in space as well as space explorers from its violent outbursts. Vigil is planned for launch in 2031.
In Europe's economy today, numerous sectors can potentially be affected by space weather, suffering from the increased radiation damaging electronic systems. These range from space-based telecommunications, broadcasting, weather and navigation services, with knock-on effects ranging from logistics to banking. On Earth, power grids, commercial airlines and terrestrial communications can be directly affected as well, especially at northern latitudes.
The data collected by Vigil will feed into the ESA Space Weather Service Network, maintained by ESA’s Space Weather Office, part of the agency’s ambitious Space Safety Programme.
“The need and appetite for space weather services is growing as the potential impact of space weather events becomes more critical with our increased dependence on satellites in space.” says Alexi Glover, Space Weather Service Coordinator at ESA.
“Vigil’s data will add valuable accuracy and increased lead times to our services, transforming our ability to nowcast and forecast key space weather effects.”
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Lagrange Points
Deep-space advantage at L5
The Earth’s magnetic field deflects the majority of the charged particles and solar wind emitted by the Sun, while the atmosphere filters out the dangerous wavelengths of the Sun’s electromagnetic radiation − such as Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV), X-rays and gamma rays. This makes it essential to measure and observe in space with remote sensors to complement ground-based observations.
The key added value of Vigil’s data on potentially damaging solar activity is the result of its unique vantage point in deep space. Vigil will keep constant watch of the Sun from its orbit around the Lagrange point L5 in deep space.
Looking at the Sun and Earth from L5, Vigil – once known as ‘Lagrange’ – can observe much more clearly the speed, direction and chance of impact of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) as they hurtle through space from the Sun to Earth. From there it can also see the ‘side’ of the Sun and observe activity on the surface of the Sun days before it rotates into view and can be detected from the Sun-Earth line.
Solar wind, the stream of energized, charged particles flowing outward from the Sun, will be forecast up to five days in advance.
As it feeds into the ESA Space Weather Service Network, the data from Vigil at L5 will be combined with available data from the Sun-Earth line, including spacecraft like SOHO orbiting L1, resulting in more detailed and precise forecasts for end users across industries.
ESA’s space weather forecasting mission Vigil will monitor our active and unpredictable Sun to protect vital infrastructure on Earth and in space as well as space explorers from its violent outbursts. Vigil is planned for launch in 2031.
Vigil in short
Vigil is planned for launch in 2031 on an Ariane 6, transferring orbit from L1 to L2 before finally arriving at its final destination in orbit around Lagrange point 5. Vigil will be operational after 21 months, with an expected lifetime of five years at L5.
1160 kg dry mass
2500 kg wet mass (incl. 1300 kg of fuel)
1200 W power from its solar array, fixed onto the spacecraft
Ground segment: 24/7 operations from missions control at ESOC, with communication through ESTRACK’s deep-space antennas with support from partner antennas
X-band communication
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Spacecraft monitoring the Sun
The Vigil spacecraft
The Earth’s magnetic field deflects the majority of the charged particles and solar wind emitted by the Sun, while the atmosphere filters out the dangerous wavelengths of the Sun’s electromagnetic radiation − such as Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV), X-rays and gamma rays. This makes it essential to measure and observe in space with remote sensors to complement ground-based observations.
The key added value of Vigil’s data on potentially damaging solar activity is the result of its unique vantage point in deep space. Vigil will keep constant watch of the Sun from its orbit around the Lagrange point L5 in deep space.
Looking at the Sun and Earth from L5, Vigil – once known as ‘Lagrange’ – can observe much more clearly the speed, direction and chance of impact of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) as they hurtle through space from the Sun to Earth. From there it can also see the ‘side’ of the Sun and observe activity on the surface of the Sun days before it rotates into view and can be detected from the Sun-Earth line.
Solar wind, the stream of energized, charged particles flowing outward from the Sun, will be forecast up to five days in advance.
As it feeds into the ESA Space Weather Service Network, the data from Vigil at L5 will be combined with available data from the Sun-Earth line, including spacecraft like SOHO orbiting L1, resulting in more detailed and precise forecasts for end users across industries.
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SOHO captures coronal mass ejection blasting from the Sun's far side in the direction of Venus
Vigil's instruments
The Earth’s magnetic field deflects the majority of the charged particles and solar wind emitted by the Sun, while the atmosphere filters out the dangerous wavelengths of the Sun’s electromagnetic radiation − such as Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV), X-rays and gamma rays. This makes it essential to measure and observe in space with remote sensors to complement ground-based observations.
The key added value of Vigil’s data on potentially damaging solar activity is the result of its unique vantage point in deep space. Vigil will keep constant watch of the Sun from its orbit around the Lagrange point L5 in deep space.
Looking at the Sun and Earth from L5, Vigil – once known as ‘Lagrange’ – can observe much more clearly the speed, direction and chance of impact of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) as they hurtle through space from the Sun to Earth. From there it can also see the ‘side’ of the Sun and observe activity on the surface of the Sun days before it rotates into view and can be detected from the Sun-Earth line.
Solar wind, the stream of energized, charged particles flowing outward from the Sun, will be forecast up to five days in advance.
As it feeds into the ESA Space Weather Service Network, the data from Vigil at L5 will be combined with available data from the Sun-Earth line, including spacecraft like SOHO orbiting L1, resulting in more detailed and precise forecasts for end users across industries.
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Vigil
The first of its kind, ESA Vigil will monitor our active and unpredictable Sun to protect vital infrastructure on Earth, in space as well as space explorers from its violent outbursts
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