MIXS Instrument
MIXS Instrument
The Mercury Imaging X-ray Spectrometer (MIXS) instrument is due to arrive at Mercury in 2025 aboard the European Space Agency’s Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO). The MPO spacecraft, together with the Japanese Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO), constitute the BepiColombo mission. This collaboration will be ESA’s first mission to Mercury, the least explored and most extreme of the terrestrial planets. The mission aims to improve our understanding of the planet’s composition, geophysics, atmosphere, magnetosphere and history.The MIXS instrument is designed to determine the surface composition of the planet by means of fluorescent X-ray spectroscopy. It is a two component instrument. MIXS-T (the larger component) is an X-ray imaging telescope with a narrow field for detailed images of the surface. MIXS-C collects X-rays from a wider field of view, to get an overview of the planet.
MIXS has a companion instrument, the SIXS (Solar Intensity X-ray Spectrometer) being developed by the University of Helsinki, which will perform measurements of X-rays and particles of solar origin. The combination of these instruments will provide details on the elemental composition of the surface layer of Mercury. The instruments were named by the Finnish collaborators and the names have a hidden meaning: MIXS is Finnish for 'Why'? SIXS is Finnish for 'That's Why!'
All images:
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![MIXS Instrument - Credit: University of Leicester, Space Research Centre/ National Space Centre]()
MIXS Instrument - Credit: University of Leicester, Space Research Centre/ National Space Centre -
![MIXS Instrument - Credit: University of Leicester, Space Research Centre/ National Space Centre]()
MIXS Instrument - Credit: University of Leicester, Space Research Centre/ National Space Centre -
![MIXS Instrument - Credit: University of Leicester, Space Research Centre/ National Space Centre]()
MIXS Instrument - Credit: University of Leicester, Space Research Centre/ National Space Centre -
![MIXS Instrument - Credit: University of Leicester, Space Research Centre/ National Space Centre]()
MIXS Instrument - Credit: University of Leicester, Space Research Centre/ National Space Centre
More information
Object number
L2016-12
Location
Our Solar System Gallery
Curator's comments
MIXS is part of a long line of cutting edge space technology developed by the University of Leicester, Space Research Centre
Has this object been into space?
No
Dimension - Dimension, Value, Measurement unit
Length: 104cm
Width: 45cm
Height: 33cm
Associated Organisation
ESA
Object Production Date
2015
Object Production Organisation
University of Leicester Space Research Centre
Object Production Place
Leicester
United Kingdom
Credit Line
Flight-spare MIXS instrument on loan courtesy of the University of Leicester, Space Research Centre, Department of Physics and Astronomy
On Display Status
On display
Copyright and Photos
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