Imperial’s MAGIC instrument prepares for Gateway mission

A new experiment, called the European Radiation Sensors Array (ERSA), will carry a Magnetometer built by Imperial physicists to orbit the Moon and monitor space weather.

Imperial physicists have reached a major milestone with the completion of MAGIC, a highly miniaturised magnetometer built for the European Space Agency’s European Radiation Sensors Array experiment (ERSA).  

MAGIC (MAGnetometer from Imperial College) will now be installed as part of ERSA’s payload which is designed to monitor space weather on Gateway - an international space station planned for lunar orbit under NASA’s Artemis programme, which aims to return humans to the Moon.

Professor Jonathan Eastwood, Convening Director of the School of Convergence Science in Space, Security and Telecoms and Professor of Space Physics at Imperial said “We have now finished the flight model, and a few days ago successfully delivered it to Space Applications Services in Belgium for integration into ERSA. This is the first step on a long journey taking ERSA MAGIC from South Kensington to orbiting the Moon.”

The construction of MAGIC is funded by the UK Space Agency thanks to their contribution to the ESA Human and Robotic Exploration programme.

Space weather hazards

Space weather poses a significant risk to lunar exploration. Bursts of high-energy particles from the Sun can damage spacecraft systems and endanger astronauts. To help manage this risk, Gateway will carry two dedicated instruments: ERSA from ESA and HERMES from NASA.

This is the first step on a long journey taking ERSA MAGIC from South Kensington to orbiting the Moon. Professor Jonathan Eastwood Convening Director of the School of Convergence Science in Space, Security and Telecoms, and I am Professor of Space Physics

ERSA’s main goal is to measure the real-time energetic particle environment and characterise space weather risks. However, these particles are charged and so they spiral along the magnetic fields that fill space.

This is where Imperial’s MAGIC comes in. MAGIC will measure the magnetic field at Gateway, which is crucial for understanding and interpreting ESRA’s particle data. The instrument will also give basic information about whether Gateway and the Moon are in the solar wind or inside Earth’s magnetosphere - the protective bubble carved by the Earth’s magnetic field.

Knowing this is important, because the magnetic environment can affect how high-energy particles travel, which determines whether they can reach the space station and pose a risk to astronauts and equipment.  

“Monitoring space weather is a significant challenge for lunar exploration and the data from ERSA will help us better understand space weather risks at the Moon.” said Professor Eastwood.

Adapting MAGIC for Gateway

MAGIC is designed to operate in a magnetically noisy environment without the usual boom-mounted configuration.

Instead, as part of ERSA it will be directly attached to the Gateway Power and Propulsion Element (PPE), surrounded by sources of magnetic interference. The team is working closely with Space Applications Services, ESA and the Gateway team to control and characterise this environment.

The instrument has also been tested to withstand harsh radiation conditions. Its sensor components are rated up to 140 krad, nearly double the expected exposure, and electronics have been qualified for Gateway’s environment.

“Building an instrument that will operate on a manned platform is a new and exciting challenge. The result is an excellent instrument with a number of improvements from the previous generation sensors”  Said Richard Baughen, lead engineer from Imperial.

A heritage of space magnetometry

Imperial has a long history in space magnetometry, and currently plays a leading roles in some of the most important and influential ongoing international science missions such as Solar Orbiter, JUICE and IMAP.

More recently, the team has been developing MAGIC: a series of magnetometer instruments based on magnetoresistive technology, which require ten times less power and mass compared to traditional science instruments while still meeting mission goals.

The first MAGIC instrument flew on the CINEMA CubeSat in 2012, and following the successful completion of the RadCube CubeSat mission in 2024, ERSA represents the next step for this family of instruments. Following this, the fourth generation of MAGIC is slated to fly on HENON, a deep-space space weather CubeSat scheduled for launch in early 2027.

Looking ahead

This achievement highlights Imperial’s leadership in space research and innovation. It also reflects the mission of the School of Convergence Science, which brings together the university’s world-leading research across science, engineering and technology to accelerate solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges.

One of the School’s focus areas is Space, Security and Telecoms, which explores how we can undertake space exploration safely and sustainably. Missions like Space 2099 aim to develop technologies and strategies for secure, realistic and responsible space missions.

MAGIC is just the latest example of this vision in action, demonstrating how interdisciplinary research can shape a resilient future.