A new name, a mission crest and ongoing technological choices… The European Space Agency is making progress for one of its three new “accelerators”, namely the protection of space assets.
The small Vigil probe will take off to go to Lagrange Point L5 and monitor the Sun, a little known issue. We still know little about its final design.
A star can move…
This is one of the recurring nightmares of satellite operators and their insurers, but also of many electronics engineers on Earth: an unexpected solar storm, with significant electromagnetic effects.
A study carried out by the European Space Agency pointed out in 2016 that an event of this kind could cost between 13 and 15 billion euros. However, by anticipating the arrival of these solar storms, or even by observing them several days beforehand, it would be possible to prepare for them as much as possible with a wide range of actions. Do not launch satellites into very low orbit in the days that follow, for example… Or turn off the most sensitive instruments and antennas on satellites already around the Earth, anticipate the effects on electrical networks, etc.
Observing the sun shifted
Unfortunately, such solar activity is difficult to predict. Observatories aimed at the Sun from Earth orbit or the Lagrange Point L1 can in some cases be taken aback. According to scientists and specialists, there would be a definite interest in observing part of the Sun from another point of view, before its rotation brings it face to face with the Earth. Good news, because it is theoretically possible to send a probe to the Lagrange Point L5, where it can remain “parked” without spending too much fuel, to monitor our star. It would also be a first for a space probe, 150 million kilometers from Earth.
The protection of space assets is identified as a priority in the mandate of the Director of ESA (it is one of the three “accelerating” subjects with Earth observation in the service of ecology and rapid space response in the event of crisis). As a result, the “Lagrange” mission concept has gained visibility: its preliminary technical study is supposed to be completed this year. We will therefore soon know more about the instruments, the budget and the launch date.
An increasingly concrete project
To draw attention to the mission, ESA decided in 2021 to use a campaign of ” naming “, with a committee which finally met (virtually, COVID obliges) to deliberate between the last 9 of the 5,422 choices proposed and sorted by the communication of the agency.
They thus chose Vigil, (vigil or sentinel in French), which transcribes quite well the function of the future probe. The European agency unveiled this new name and the mission crest a few days ago.
Source:
ESA
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