Advancing UK Aerospace, Defence, Security & Space Solutions Worldwide
  • Home
  • /
  • Space
  • /
  • First ‘marsquake’ captured by UK sensors

Space

First ‘marsquake’ captured by UK sensors

The NASA InSight lander which is supported by the UK Space Agency has recorded its first candidate for a ‘marsquake’.

Above: Artist's impression of InSight.
Copyright NASA

The NASA InSight lander, which is supported by the UK Space Agency, has recorded its first likely ‘marsquake’. Seismic vibrations of the Martian surface were detected by a set of silicon sensors developed in the UK.

The quiet but distinct signal was detected on 6th April 2019 (the 128th Martian day, or sol, of the mission). The signal was detected by InSight’s Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS), which the lander placed on the Martian surface on 19th December 2018.

Advertisement
Leonardo RT

Science Minister Chris Skidmore said: "Detecting these quakes on a planet 140 million miles from Earth is a spectacular feat of science and engineering - a testament to the UK’s world leading science and engineering space sector, including our fantastic university research base.

"This project shows what can be achieved through our flourishing international partnerships and signifies our commitment to the international space sector creating high skilled jobs across the UK as part of our modern Industrial Strategy."

Sue Horne, Head of Space Exploration at the UK Space Agency, said: "Thanks to the Apollo missions of the 1960s we know that moonquakes exist. So, it’s exciting to see the Mars results coming in, now indicating the existence of marsquakes which will lead to a better understanding of what’s below the surface of the red planet."

Above: This image shows InSight's domed Wind and Thermal Shield, which covers its seismometer. The image was taken on the 110th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. The seismometer is called Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure, or SEIS.
Copyright NASA

SEIS includes three Short Period sensors (SEIS SP) developed in partnership by Imperial College London, Oxford University and STFC RAL Space, with £4 million in funding from the UK Space Agency. These sensors, carved out of silicon, can detect motion at sub-atomic scales.

Advertisement
Teledyne

Prof Tom Pike of Imperial College London, leading the UK contribution, said: "This is what we what we were all waiting for, the first quivering of the planet picked up by our sensors. We worked hard to develop the most sensitive silicon sensors on Earth to send to Mars as part of SEIS. Up to now we didn’t know if even that was going to be good enough. But it looks like Mars, although very much quieter than Earth, is giving us seismic signals we are able to clearly detect. Our first investigation of the interior of another planet is now underway."

In December, the British-developed silicon sensors of SEIS captured the first sounds ever recorded directly from Mars - a haunting, low rumble caused by vibrations from the wind. Recording this wind allows scientists to separate 'noise' from actual marsquakes.

InSight, which landed on 26th November 2018, will study the inside of Mars to learn how planets, moons and meteorites with rocky surfaces, including the Earth and its Moon, formed.

Dr Neil Bowles, from the University of Oxford’s Department of Physics, said: "Seeing the first likely ‘marsquake’ is really exciting and it shows the fantastic performance of the SEIS instrument. We can now start to characterise the types of signals we see on Mars to try and understand how this relates to the structure of planet."

The news of the first recorded marsquake was revealed yesterday at the Seismological Society of America conference in Seattle, USA.
 

 

Advertisement
General Atomics LB
GKN Aerospace and ArianeGroup sign new Ariane 6 contract

Space

GKN Aerospace and ArianeGroup sign new Ariane 6 contract

9 July 2025

GKN Aerospace and ArianeGroup have signed a new Frame Contract for the operational phase of Ariane 6, securing Europe’s access to space for years to come and building on a partnership spanning over five decades.

Orbex pre-selected for European Launcher Challenge

Space

Orbex pre-selected for European Launcher Challenge

8 July 2025

Orbex, the UK-based orbital launch services company, has been pre-selected by the European Space Agency (ESA) to take part in its prestigious European Launcher Challenge (ELC).

UK achieves silver at the International Youth Rocketry Championships

Space Events

UK achieves silver at the International Youth Rocketry Championships

7 July 2025

A team of four students from Teignmouth Community School in Devon came second in the International Youth Rocketry Championships, narrowly missing pole position in a nail-biting final.

Blue Canyon’s CubeSat to support ARCSTONE

Space

Blue Canyon’s CubeSat to support ARCSTONE

7 July 2025

Blue Canyon Technologies, RTX’s small satellite manufacturer and mission services provider, has announced the successful launch of a CubeSat in support of ARCSTONE, a NASA mission to measure lunar spectral reflectance, or the way sunlight is reflected back from the Moon's surface at different wavelengths of light.

Advertisement
DSEI 2025
Serco appoints Keith Williams as Chair

Aerospace Defence Security Space

Serco appoints Keith Williams as Chair

4 July 2025

Serco has appointed Keith Williams to the Board as a Non-Executive Director and Chair designate.

UK launches tender for space debris removal

Space

UK launches tender for space debris removal

3 July 2025

The UK Space Agency has launched a major new procurement process to tackle the growing threat of space debris, initiating a £75.6 million tender for the nation’s first mission to actively remove defunct satellites from orbit.

Advertisement
Gulfstream RT