SMILE is a joint China – ESA mission to study the impact of the solar wind on the Earth’s magnetosphere. Artist’s conception by ESA/ATG medialab

Auroras (polar lights) are one example of  solar wind impacting the Earth. However, charged particles from the sun may affect our planet in many ways. Technology in space, e.g. satellites, is particularly at risk. Image: ESA/NASA

The SMILE spacecraft will carry two imaging instruments – the wide field of view soft X-ray imager (SXI) and an auroral ultraviolet imager (UVI) – and an in situ measurement package that will work in conjunction with the imagers to explore the properties of the solar wind. Image credit: CAS/ESA

The Soft X-ray Imager SXI is one of four instuments onboard the SMILE spacecraft. It is a wide-field lobster-eye telescope with two X-ray-sensitive CCD detectors observing emissions from charged particles hitting the Earth’s magnetospheric boundaries. The FHNW astro-helio group will build the radiator for cooling the X-ray detectors and develop the imaging software. The four CAD-images above show the SXI instrument and the radiator. Image credit: U. Leicester, UK