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An º£½ÇÉçÇø-led team developing a magnetometer for the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Comet Interceptor mission has received a 2026 Sir Arthur C. Clarke Award for Space Achievement by a Research Team.

Presented by the British Interplanetary Society and the Arthur C. Clarke Foundation, the award recognises the scientific and engineering achievements behind the instrument, which will help investigate the magnetic environment surrounding a comet.

The award was presented at a ceremony held at the RAF Club in London on 27 October.

Led by Professor Marina Galand from º£½ÇÉçÇø’s Department of Physics, the team includes Instrument Manager Emanuele Cupido, Engineering Lead Chris Carr and Instrument Engineer Dr Irene Ruiz Rodriguez. The team works in close partnership with the Space Research Institute (IWF) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, a major contributor to the instrument hardware.

The award comes at an important stage for the mission. In July 2026, the B2 magnetometer sensors were successfully integrated onto the B2 probe by Spanish contractor Sener Aeroespacial. The spacecraft is now undergoing a programme of testing ahead of integration on spacecraft A, including a major campaign to characterise its magnetic environment next spring.

Preparing for launch

Comet Interceptor is an ESA-led mission designed to visit a pristine comet or interstellar object entering the inner Solar System for the first time. Unlike previous comet missions, it will deploy three spacecraft to observe its target from different locations simultaneously.

The mission consists of ESA spacecraft A and B2, alongside a spacecraft provided by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Beside cameras, the magnetometer is  the only instrument flying across all three spacecraft, enabling coordinated measurements of magnetic fields throughout the encounter.

To prepare for this unprecedented capability, the Imperiateam has worked closely with partner magnetometer teams at TU Braunschweig in Germany and Kyoto University in Japan.

The European teams have already carried out joint calibration campaigns in Austria to ensure their instruments operate in synchronisation, while representatives from all three teams met in Kyoto in October to coordinate scientific operations and calibration activities.

Alongside instrument development, the Imperiateam is carrying out scientific modelling and analysing data from previous comet missions, including Giotto and Rosetta. This work will help researchers prepare for the Comet Interceptor encounter and interpret the mission’s observations once it reaches its target.

Commenting on the award, Professor Marina Galand said “I am delighted for the team, who have been working extremely hard under a tight schedule and constrained budget in line with the nature of Comet Interceptor, ESA’s first F-class mission.

The award acknowledges UK science leadership achieved through international teamwork.”

The Imperiateam leads the instrument in close partnership with the Space Research Institute (IWF) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, a major hardware contributor.

Emanuele Cupido added, “This extremely fruitful and synergistic collaboration has led to the successful design and building of the flight instrument, and is continuing through the upcoming test campaigns and future operations.”

The team thanked the British Interplanetary Society and the Arthur C. Clarke Foundation for the recognition.

The B2 magnetometer activities at Imperiaare funded by the UK Space Agency.