Author Topic: ESA - Swarm updates  (Read 23246 times)

Offline bolun

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ESA - Swarm updates
« on: 10/28/2011 01:32 pm »

ESA's magnetic field mission Swarm
 
The objective of the Swarm mission is to provide the best ever survey of the geomagnetic field and its temporal evolution, and gain new insights into improving our knowledge of the Earth’s interior and climate.

The Swarm concept consists of a constellation of three satellites in three different polar orbits between 400 and 550 km altitude. High-precision and high-resolution measurements of the strength and direction of the magnetic field will be provided by each satellite. In combination, they will provide the necessary observations that are required to model various sources of the geomagnetic field. GPS receivers, an accelerometer and an electric field instrument will provide supplementary information for studying the interaction of the magnetic field with other physical quantities describing the Earth system – for example, Swarm could provide independent data on ocean circulation. 
 
The multi-satellite Swarm mission will be able to take full advantage of a new generation of magnetometers enabling measurements to be taken over different regions of the Earth simultaneously. Swarm will also provide monitoring of the time-variability aspects of the geomagnetic field, this is a great improvement on the current method of extrapolation based on statistics and ground observations. The geomagnetic field models resulting from the Swarm mission will further our understanding of atmospheric processes related to climate and weather and will also have practical applications in many different areas, such as space weather and radiation hazards.

http://www.esa.int/esaLP/ESA3QZJE43D_LPswarm_0.html

--------

ESA's Earth Explorers missions

http://www.esa.int/esaEO/SEM9JP2VQUD_index_0_m.html
« Last Edit: 10/28/2011 01:44 pm by bolun »

Offline bolun

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Re: ESA - Swarm updates
« Reply #1 on: 10/28/2011 01:37 pm »
Swarm: magnetic field satellites get their bearings
 
27 October 2011

ESA’s Swarm satellites, which will unravel the complexities of Earth’s magnetic shield, are being put through their paces to ensure that they will withstand the rigours of space. Marking an important milestone, the first satellite has undergone magnetic testing.

Comprising three identical satellites, Swarm is ESA’s first constellation of Earth observation satellites. They are due to liftoff together on a Rockot launcher from Plesetsk in northern Russia next year.

As the launch date grows closer, all three satellites are being subjected to an intense testing programme at IABG in Ottobrunn, Germany.

http://www.esa.int/esaEO/SEMLV3HURTG_index_0.html
« Last Edit: 10/28/2011 01:41 pm by bolun »

Offline bolun

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Re: ESA - Swarm updates
« Reply #2 on: 02/17/2012 01:04 pm »
Swarm constellation heads north
 
17 February 2012

The three satellites that make up ESA’s Swarm magnetic field mission were presented to the media today. Following a demanding testing programme, the satellites were displayed in the cleanroom before they are shipped to Russia for their July launch.

http://www.esa.int/esaEO/SEMBHGZXHYG_index_0.html
« Last Edit: 02/17/2012 01:05 pm by bolun »

Offline bolun

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Re: ESA - Swarm updates
« Reply #3 on: 08/27/2012 01:11 pm »

Online Galactic Penguin SST

Re: ESA - Swarm updates
« Reply #4 on: 08/29/2012 01:03 pm »
Apparently due to the recent Breeze-M failure, the launch of this mission is now planned in February/March 2013.

http://www.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=986691#986691
Astronomy & spaceflight geek penguin. In a relationship w/ Space Shuttle Discovery. Current Priority: Chasing the Chinese Spaceflight Wonder Egg & A Certain Chinese Mars Rover

Offline bolun

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Re: ESA - Swarm updates
« Reply #5 on: 03/28/2013 10:51 am »

Offline russianhalo117

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Re: ESA - Swarm updates
« Reply #6 on: 03/28/2013 11:34 am »
Swarm SC's and equipment are to be pulled out of storage today for health checks and installation of new software updates to the flight computers that will allow for a potentially longer mission by using more efficient burn and fuel algorithms thus saving move fuel. They will then be placed back into storage before being prepared for shipment to Cosmodrome Plesetsk.

Offline bolun

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Re: ESA - Swarm updates
« Reply #7 on: 09/14/2013 10:36 am »
Swarm launch scheduled for November 14th, 2013

http://smsc.cnes.fr/SWARM/actualites.htm

Offline bolun

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Re: ESA - Swarm updates
« Reply #8 on: 09/19/2013 07:12 pm »
Launch thread:

Rokot launch with three Swarm satellites - November 14, 2013

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=27808.0

Offline bolun

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Re: ESA - Swarm updates
« Reply #9 on: 09/19/2013 07:15 pm »
Preparing to launch Swarm

19 September 2013

With the launch of ESA’s Swarm trio set for 14 November, the first satellite has arrived safely at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia. This new mission will unravel one of the most mysterious aspects of our planet: the magnetic field.

The arrival marks the beginning of the ‘launch campaign’, which includes an intensive period of tests to make sure that the satellites are fit for launch after their journey from Germany to Russia.

The campaign also includes the careful task of fuelling the satellites and attaching them to the rocket that will deliver them into orbit.

The remaining two satellites will arrive in the next couple of days, the second later today and the third at the weekend.

All three will be launched together on a single Rockot.

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Observing_the_Earth/The_Living_Planet_Programme/Earth_Explorers/Swarm/Preparing_to_launch_Swarm

Image credit: ESA/G. Spinella
« Last Edit: 09/19/2013 07:17 pm by bolun »

Offline bolun

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Offline bolun

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Re: ESA - Swarm updates
« Reply #11 on: 12/07/2013 10:46 am »

Offline bolun

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Re: ESA - Swarm updates
« Reply #12 on: 12/07/2013 10:54 am »
Swarm-ee on the App Store on iTunes

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/swarm-ee/id714196263

Offline bolun

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Re: ESA - Swarm updates
« Reply #13 on: 02/06/2014 07:07 pm »
Swarm heads for new heights

6 February 2014

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Observing_the_Earth/Swarm/Swarm_heads_for_new_heights

Quote
Since the intensity of solar activity is currently lower than anticipated, the original plan of where to place the satellites at the beginning of science operations has been reviewed recently by the scientific community and experts in ESA.

Low solar activity means the satellites experience lower atmospheric drag, as clearly demonstrated by ESA’s GOCE mission.
Earth's protective shield

Swarm is tasked with measuring and untangling the different magnetic signals that stem from Earth’s core, mantle, crust, oceans, ionosphere and magnetosphere.

Launched together, the three identical Swarm satellites were released into adjacent orbits at an altitude of 490 km.

The satellites may be identical, but to optimise sampling in space and time their orbits are different – a key aspect of the mission.

The data acquired from different locations can be used to distinguish between the changes in the magnetic field caused by the Sun’s activity and those signals that originate from inside Earth.

The result for Swarm is a slightly different orbit configuration that will save satellite fuel at the beginning of the mission and offer a better return for science at a later stage.

Two satellites are now being lowered to an altitude of about 462 km and an inclination of 87.35°. They will orbit almost side by side, about 150 km apart as they pass over the equator. Over the life of the mission they will both descend to about 300 km.

The third satellite is being placed in a higher orbit of 510 km and at a different inclination of 87.75°, slightly closer to the pole.

The difference in inclination will cause a slow drift of the upper satellite relative to the path of the lower two at increasing angles. After three years, the fuel saved can be used to slow down the relative orbital drift.

Offline bolun

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Re: ESA - Swarm updates
« Reply #14 on: 05/06/2014 01:23 pm »
Swarm 'delivers on magnetic promise'

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-27255235

Offline bolun

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Re: ESA - Swarm updates
« Reply #15 on: 06/21/2014 08:57 am »
Swarm reveals Earth’s changing magnetism

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Observing_the_Earth/Swarm/Swarm_reveals_Earth_s_changing_magnetism

Earth from Space: Special edition (Interview with Nils Olsen from DTU Space)

http://www.esa.int/spaceinvideos/Videos/2014/06/Earth_from_Space_Special_edition2

Image credit: ESA/DTU Space

Offline Prober

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Re: ESA - Swarm updates
« Reply #16 on: 07/09/2014 08:39 pm »
Looks like Swarm was a very good investment for ESA

some good info coming out.

Earth's Magnetic Field Is Weakening 10 Times Faster Now

http://news.yahoo.com/earths-magnetic-field-weakening-10-times-faster-now-121247349.html
2017 - Everything Old is New Again.
"I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant..." --Isoroku Yamamoto

Offline bolun

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Re: ESA - Swarm updates
« Reply #17 on: 05/16/2015 08:34 am »
http://www.esa.int/About_Us/ESA_Publications/ESA_Bulletin_161_1st_quarter_2015

From ESA Bulletin 161 (Page 74)

Quote
Swarm continues to acquire excellent science data. Satellite constellation maintenance operations are proceeding, this is particularly relevant and important to achieving the bestpossible estimate of all contributors to the total magnetic field. Last year, early mission data were used to derive candidate solutions for the 2015 International Geomagnetic Reference Field (IGRF) model. The IGRF is a main field model that (by convention) is updated every five years, and which is used by practically all applications communities and services in need of geomagnetic data. IGRF-12, as the final 2015 model is called, is based on a combination of Swarm, historical satellite data and ground-based observatory data. In addition, a Swarm Initial Field Model, which includes also the computation of the crustal magnetic field at high spatial resolution, has been producedand made available to the community.

Offline bolun

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Re: ESA - Swarm updates
« Reply #18 on: 06/22/2015 03:25 pm »
Core and crust from Swarm

The image highlights the new crust (right) and core (centre) magnetic field models from Swarm. These preliminary results are based only on the first year of data.

http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2015/06/Core_and_crust_from_Swarm

Related article:

- Magnetic complexity begins to untangle

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Observing_the_Earth/Swarm/Magnetic_complexity_begins_to_untangle

Offline bolun

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