Speaker
Description
The ESA Vigil mission will be the first operational space weather monitoring mission deployed at the Sun–Earth Lagrange Point L5, offering a unique vantage point approximately 60 degrees behind Earth’s orbit. This position enables early detection and continuous tracking of solar activity that may impact Earth, providing critical lead time for forecasting and mitigation of space weather events.
Vigil carries six scientific instruments that together offer a comprehensive view of solar and heliospheric conditions. Two in-situ instruments will characterise the local solar wind environment at L5. The Plasma Analyser (PLA), developed by University College London Mullard Space Science Laboratory (UCL/MSSL), is designed to measure solar wind ion densities, temperatures, and velocities. The Magnetometer (MAG), developed by Imperial College London and the Institut für Weltraumforschung (IWF), will provide high-resolution vector measurements of the interplanetary magnetic field.
For remote sensing, Vigil includes instruments that monitor the Sun and heliosphere across multiple domains. The Compact Coronagraph (CCOR), built by NOAA and the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), will observe the outer corona from approximately 3 to 22 solar radii, capturing the initiation and early evolution of coronal mass ejections (CMEs). The Heliospheric Imager (HI), led by Leonardo SpA in Italy, will track CMEs and solar wind structures as they propagate through interplanetary space out to 50 degrees elongation.
To monitor the solar surface and low corona, Vigil includes the Photospheric Magnetic field Imager (PMI), developed by the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) and the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (IAA), which will provide full-disk vector magnetic field maps of the photosphere. These are crucial for understanding the source regions of solar wind and eruptive activity. Additionally, the EUV Imager (JEDI), contributed by NASA and the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), will provide wide field-of-view extreme ultraviolet imagery of the extended corona, enabling linkage between low-coronal features and their heliospheric counterparts.
Together, these instruments create an integrated observational system capable of continuously tracking solar structures from their origin on the solar surface, through the corona, and out into the inner heliosphere—extending close to the Sun–Earth line. This observational continuity is essential for accurately predicting the arrival and impact of space weather events.
Vigil will deliver science-quality data at low latency, supporting both real-time operational forecasting and long-term scientific research. These data products will be fully integrated into the ESA Space Weather Service Network, ensuring broad accessibility and long-term continuity. Vigil’s deployment marks a major advancement in space weather monitoring infrastructure, delivering consistent, high-quality observations from a strategically vital location for years to come.
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