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Swarm

Magnetic Field Mission

Mission Status: Operational
Launch Date: 22 November 2013
Instrument Type: Space environment, magnetic field, precision orbit

Swarm consists of three identical satellites, which were launched to measure different components of Earth's magnetic field. The mission is providing scientists with an improved understanding of Earth’s interior and the near-Earth environment, as well as insights into the structure and dynamics of Earth's magnetic field.

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VirES for Swarm

Scientific Instruments

Accelerometer (ACC): Measures non-gravitational accelerations along three axes in space.
Absolute Scalar Magnetometer (ASM): Measures the intensity of the local magnetic field.
Langmuir Probe (LP)- Part of the Electrical Field Instrument, which measures the electrical properties of the near-Earth environment.
Thermal Ion Imager (TII): Part of the Electrical Field Instrument, which measures the energy and direction of ions in Earth's atmosphere, to determine the electric field around Earth.
The GPS Receiver (GPSR) determines the orbit (position and velocity) of the Swarm satellites.
The Laser Retro Reflector (LRR) is used for validating the Swarm satellite's orbit accuracy.
Star Tracker (STR): An optical camera system designed to measure the orientation of the satellite with respect to the stars.
Vector Field Magnetometer (VFM): Used to measure the strength and direction of magnetic fields.
related data applications