“As the first mission to permanently observe the Sun and Earth from the side, its instruments can detect how space weather and the causes of geomagnetic storms move from the Sun towards our planet. This greatly improves our understanding and provides a much more precise and actionable forecast.”

Airbus UK is the prime contractor for the spacecraft and several of its instruments are being developed under the leadership of British institutes, including its magnetometer and its plasma analyser, both of which are featured in the photography collection.

Vigil will greatly enhance ESA’s existing space weather network, managed from its mission control centre in Germany, which draws on observations from multiple sources to provide actionable information on solar activity.

Giuseppe Mandorlo, Vigil Project Manager at ESA, says, “The recent Lloyds of London report on economic impacts due to a major solar event estimated losses of up to $2.4 trillion over 5 years, which highlights the scale and long-lasting effects of such an event.