Description
Organisers: Adam Amara, Steve Eckersley, Lucia Fonseca de la Bella, Hamish Reid; co organisers: Malcolm Dunlop, Oscar Gonzalez, David Hall, Beatriz Sanchez-Cano
The rapid evolution of space instrumentation and mission design is ushering in a transformative era for solar-terrestrial physics, planetary science, and astrophysics. With an increasing emphasis on affordability and innovation, the space science community is exploring cutting-edge technologies and low-cost mission concepts that promise groundbreaking scientific discoveries. Recent initiatives by the European Space Agency (ESA)โincluding the M7/F2 program, the forthcoming M8 and F3 calls, and the agile mini-Fast mission conceptsโhighlight the growing demand for advanced instrumentation and creative mission architectures. In parallel, the UK Space Agency (UKSA) is driving technological progress through its Enabling Technology Programme and bilateral Science and Exploration Programme, fostering international collaboration and the development of next-generation space science missions.
This session invites contributions from researchers, engineers, and mission teams engaged in the design and development of innovative instrumentation and low-cost missions. We particularly welcome discussions on instruments targeting solar-terrestrial physics, extrasolar astrophysics, and planetary exploration, as well as proposals for small satellite missions and other cost-effective approaches. This session provides a unique platform for Principal Investigators (PIs) to lead the charge on these transformative missions. By bringing together expertise from academia, industry, and space agencies, this session seeks to highlight the UKโs pivotal role in shaping the future of space science. Attendees will explore how technological advancements, strategic collaborations, and resourceful mission planning can deliver high-impact scientific outcomes. Together, we can unlock the full potential of low-cost space science and exploration missions.
The UK Space Agency is seeking to increase the frequency and diversity of opportunities for UK R&D teams in academia and industry to work on innovative instrumentation and software for international space science and exploration missions, spanning areas such as solar physics, fundamental physics, astrophysics and planetary science. Contributions to traditional large scale science missions may...
The European Space Agency forms a central part of opportunities to understand the highest priority scientific questions in any field, in close collaboration and partnership with National funding agencies such as the UK Space Agency. In this talk, I will provide a brief overview of how the European Space Agency (ESA) interacts with scientific communities. I will discuss the Directorate...
Historically, charge-coupled devices (CCDs) have been the detector of choice for soft X-ray astronomy, successfully deployed on numerous missions over several decades, including XMM-Newton, Swift XRT, Suzaku, Chandra, and the upcoming ESA SMILE SXI mission. While highly successful, CCDs are particularly susceptible to radiation damage and must be operated at cold temperatures, typically around...
The โMars Magnetosphere ATmosphere Ionosphere and Space-weather SciencE (M-MATISSE)โ mission is an ESA Medium class (M7) candidate currently in Phase-A study by ESA. M-MATISSEโs main scientific goal is to unravel the complex and dynamic couplings of the Martian magnetosphere, ionosphere and thermosphere (MIT coupling) with relation to the Solar Wind (i.e. space weather) and the lower...
Electron-kinetic processes are the final, crucial step in the dissipation of the highly complex turbulent plasma dynamics that are prolific in all space and astrophysical plasmas across the Universe. However, due to the nearly-collisionless nature of many space environments, a variety of distinct plasma processes can contribute to energising and regulating the thermodynamics of the electrons....
SOLAR-C is the third Japanese solar space mission, designed to provide a major advance over previous and existing solar missions. The main instrument of SOLAR-C is the EUV High-Throughput Spectroscopic Telescope (EUVST), which is complemented by the EUV Solar Spectral Irradiance Monitor (SoSpIM). EUVST will provide spectroscopic observations of solar atmospheric plasma from the 10,000 K...
Image slicers have undergone significant progress for use in the space sector. However, the current solutions do not meet the required specifications for the next generation of space missions. Outstanding science questions require higher resolutions and sensitivity with reduced weight within minimum dimensions and at a low cost. Image slicers have never observed in the Extreme Ultra-Violet...
The study of the solar corona has important ramifications on the understanding and forecasting of space weather phenomena. Yet, regardless of scientific breakthroughs brought by space-based coronagraphs, access to the lowest layers of the Sunโs atmosphere remains possible mostly during rare and sporadic total solar eclipses on Earth. This talk introduces the UK-led Moon-Enabled Sun Occultation...
ESA's Comet Interceptor will launch to the Sun-Earth L2 point in 2029, where it will be 'parked' in a stable L2 halo orbit for a period of up to 2-3 years, until a suitable opportunity for a flyby mission to an Oort Cloud comet presents itself. Shortly before the flyby, the main spacecraft will deploy 2 small probes (one provided by JAXA, one by ESA) allowing multiple paths through the coma...
The ARRAKIHS (Analysis of Resolved Remnants of Accreted galaxies as a Key Instrument for Halo Surveys) has been selected for the European Space Agency (ESA)โs second fast (F-2) space mission, planned launch in 2030. The ARRAKIHS mission aims to study the nature of dark matter, arguably the biggest mystery in astronomy and cosmology, by observing the low-surface brightness features around a...
The โDark Agesโ of the Universe, spanning redshifts z ~ 30โ250, remain one of the last unexplored frontiers in observational cosmology. This pre-stellar epoch, rich in neutral hydrogen, offers a pristine view into the formation of structure, the properties of dark matter, and early cosmic evolution. The redshifted 21-cm hyperfine transition from this period encodes a wealth of information, but...
Space-based astronomy offers a unique opportunity to observe the celestial sphere, free from atmospheric distortions and absorptions, with the potential for almost continuous, uninterrupted observations. Traditionally, space-based telescopes have been developed and operated by large space agencies and institutions, resulting in very expensive missions with long development times. However,...
Observations are critical to implementing timely strategies for mitigating potentially damaging space weather effects. The UK has an extensive heritage in developing and deploying scientific instrumentation to study space weather phenomena, on which basis a plethora of novel developments in space-borne space weather instrumentation are currently underway in UK academic, government and...
Ground-based observations are starting to uncover reduced gases that are very unexpected in the oxidised atmosphere of Venus. Their presence suggests a redox disequilibrium, with one possible contributor being the presence of anaerobic micro-organisms. We are proposing a mission to the ESA mini-Fast call to study these gases up close, hoping for a ride to Venus alongside ESA EnVision in 2031....
The detection of possible widespread surficial H2O/OH on sunlight and shadowed regions of the lunar surface was one of the most unexpected discoveries of the 2000โs. Remote sensing measurements of the H2O/OH absorption 3 ยตm feature from data sets from e.g. the Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) on the Chandrayan-1 spacecraft in 2009 gave an indication of possible spatial and time of variations in...
The Earthโs upper atmosphere highly sensitive to solar activity and the solar wind-magnetosphere interaction. Magnetospheric current systems close through the ionosphere and associated ion-neutral collisions, i.e. Joule heating, together can drastically modulate the spatially- and temporally-varying outer extent of the atmosphere. Unlike the many isolated in-situ measurements carried out by...
Blue Skies Space has developed an innovative funding and delivery model for science satellites. This new model leverages recent advancements in space technology and the rapidly evolving global scientific landscape, enabling us to drastically reduce satellite development time and costs. Our vision is to accelerate and expand the availability of new datasets to researchers worldwide,...
Modern astronomy increasingly relies on complex, interconnected systems, including remote ground-based robotic telescopes, large survey pipelines, and sophisticated space-based observatories. While enabling unprecedented discoveries, this reliance introduces significant vulnerabilities to cyber threats, jeopardizing not only instrument operations but, critically, the integrity and availability...
The groundbreaking success of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has been a cornerstone in space science and engineering. By using a pioneering deployable mirror architecture, JWST demonstrated how complex optical systems can be compactly packaged for launch, precisely deployed and aligned in space. Through deployment, it is possible to launch at cheaper cost and find a wider availability...
Space-based in situ measurements of the magnetic field are crucial for deciphering the underpinning processes at work in space plasmas, as well as for providing operational information that can be used in space weather monitoring and forecasting. However, the available resources can be highly limited in some mission scenarios which may preclude the use of a traditional technology approach,...
Laser and optical communication terminals offer tremendous opportunity for high-speed (>1 Gbps), highly-secure, inter-satellite and satellite-to-ground global communications. Traditionally, high size weight and power (SWaP) requirements have created challenges in realising COTS products, as well as, the application of such devices in small satellites such as CubeSats. A academic-industry...
Flight formation using differential drag for CubeSats has been key in unpropelled missions. While there are a variety of reports on this topic, uncertainties remain regarding its application in processes that require high precision and control execution at different stages of the mission. One such process is laser communication in the context of the ALIGN mission, where a "chiefโdeputy"...
Withdrawn
Very long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) provides the finest angular resolution of all astronomical observation techniques. The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) has demonstrated this in recent years with the landmark achievement of resolving the shadows of the supermassive black holes M87 and Sgr A. However, the only way to overcome fundamental limits on angular resolution of Earth-based arrays...
The Sheffield Nova Balloon Lifted Telescope (SunbYte) project started in 2016 and involved close collaboration between students and academics from The University of Sheffield, Hull University, Northumbria University, and Queen's University Belfast. The project also has strong support from industry: Andor Technology Ltd, Harmonic Drive AG, RS Components and space agencies ESA, NASA (HASP), DLR,...
The ALIGN mission is an in-orbit demonstration mission consisting of two 6U CubeSats carrying an experimental free-space optical communications system called FOCUS. This presentation describes the mission design, which includes two identical 6U CubeSats, a new S-band radio intersatellite link, high-performance attitude control and coarse formation flying of the two satellites via controlled...
Electrons in many space plasma environments are mostly collisionless and so are heated by interactions with plasma waves. These processes are poorly understood in general, and this is partly because the electron kinetics evolves on timescales of milliseconds and measuring a well-resolved velocity distribution (VDF) on this timescale is difficult. Measuring the transfer of energy between...
Particle acceleration is a fundamental process arising in many astrophysical objects, including active galactic nuclei, black holes, neutron stars, gamma-ray bursts, accretion disks, solar and stellar coronae, and planetary magnetospheres. Its ubiquity means energetic particles permeate the Universe and influence the conditions for the emergence and continuation of life. In our solar system,...
Future astronomical endeavours, from constellations of space-based observatories and lunar far-side radio telescopes to autonomous ground-based facilities, will increasingly rely on complex AI-driven autonomous systems. Ensuring the safety, reliability, and trustworthiness of these systems operating in remote, dynamic environments presents a significant challenge. Failures risk not only...
