EARTHSHINE will be the UK’s first deep-space mission and will use small satellite technology at large distances from the Earth. It is a novel concept for a low-cost, fast, responsive project that builds on the UK’s past involvement in small satellite development.
EARTHSHINE will make a unique set of observations that are vital to a wide variety of scientific disciplines. By carrying just four instruments, each carefully designed to combine with the other three, it will answer key questions about how Earth’s climate and space environment are influenced by the Sun – questions that have vital social, political and financial as well as scientific importance. In a stable halo orbit around the L1 Lagrange point, EARTHSHINE will have a unique and continuous view of the day-side of the Earth and will simultaneously monitor the variations and effects of the electromagnetic, particle and field outputs of the Sun. The view is particularly valuable for studies of the extent, distribution, content and reflective properties of clouds and, in conjunction with other space-based and ground-based observations, will give continuous, assumption-free estimates of the Earth’s albedo – the fraction of the Sun’s power that is reflected back into space.
A coherent design philosophy is based on the requirements that the spacecraft be simple and robust (for example, with mechanisms used only for deployment), cheap, and have minimal operations work-load, ideally controlled by the scientists. This is achieved by using autonomous systems and on-board processing to an unprecedented extent, thereby reducing operations to an absolute minimum. The mission will be the first use of a new carbon fibre structure which greatly simplifies the construction. Its successful operation would mark a major advance in the UK’s space capabilities.
