Teledyne Space Imaging announced that two of its CCD370 imaging sensors launched aboard the European Space Agency's SMILE mission from French Guiana. The Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer mission launched at 04:52 BST from Europe's Spaceport.

The sensors are integrated into SMILE's Soft X-ray Imager instrument and will capture soft X-ray emissions generated when solar wind particles interact with Earth's magnetic field. The CCD370 sensors will observe photons with energies ranging from 0.2 to 2.0 keV to study boundary regions where solar wind meets Earth's magnetosphere.

SMILE represents a joint European-Chinese scientific collaboration designed to study space weather and the interaction between the Sun and Earth. The mission will use four science instruments to examine how Earth responds to solar wind and improve understanding of solar storms and geomagnetic storms.

"SMILE will provide scientists with a new perspective on the complex interaction between the Sun and Earth," said David Morris, Chief Engineer at Teledyne Space Imaging. "Our CCD technology is enabling this mission to be the first to image Earth's magnetosphere using X-ray light."

Teledyne Space Imaging (NYSE: TDY) designed, manufactured, tested and qualified the CCD detectors at its facility in Chelmsford, England. The company states it has participated in more than 250 space projects and supplies imaging sensors to space agencies including NASA, ESA, JAXA, and KASA.

The information is based on a company press release statement.