The first of the three Astrium-built Swarm research satellites is on its way to the Plesetsk Cosmodrome. An Ilyushin-76, headed for Russia, took off from Munich Airport this morning. The remaining two satellites, plus the test and installation equipment, will follow at two-day intervals, amounting to a total of 63 tonnes of freight. The trio of satellites will be launched simultaneously from Plesetsk (around 800 kilometres northeast of Moscow) on a single Rockot launch vehicle in November 2013.
Astrium, Europe’s leading space technology company, is the European Space Agency’s (ESA) prime contractor for the Swarm mission. The purpose of the Swarm mission is to analyse, in unprecedented detail, the geomagnetic field and its evolution. The findings will help improve our understanding of the Earth’s inner workings and its interaction with the space environment.
The three identical Swarm satellites will be launched into a polar orbit at an altitude of 490 kilometres and will carry out the most accurate survey to date of the Earth’s magnetic field and its changes. Swarm will, in a manner of speaking, follow in the footsteps of Jules Verne’s novel “Journey to the Centre of the Earth”. Today, however, it is not always necessary to dig or drill to take a closer look at the composition and workings of the Earth’s interior. Thanks to the development of ‘satellite remote sensing’, Swarm can achieve this goal from orbit. The Earth’s gravitational and magnetic fields offer direct insights into the workings of its interior: from the variations these fields display at different times and places, scientists can draw conclusions about the dynamic processes taking place deep beneath the planet’s surface, in the outer core.
Extremely accurate, high-resolution readings of the geomagnetic field’s strength, orientation and fluctuations, complemented by precise navigation and velocity data, along with measurements of the electric field intensity, will provide the observational data required to distinguish between the various sources of the geomagnetic field and to explain them through models. Observation of these aspects from space offers a unique opportunity to take a closer look both at the composition of the interior of our planet and at the processes at work there. The mission will also enable scientists to analyse the Sun’s influence on the Earth. In addition, improvements in our knowledge of the geomagnetic field are expected to provide benefits of a practical nature, such as more accurate navigation for ships and aircraft, the discovery and access to natural resources below the Earth’s surface, improved global weather forecasting, and timely warnings of dangerous solar radiation.
Astrium’s unique experience in building magnetic field research satellites
Astrium began developing its first satellite for magnetic field research in deep space – the ISEE-B – back in the late 1970s. This work has continued with the development of the four-satellite Cluster constellation which has been in orbit and operating since 2000. In the field of low Earth orbit satellites, the German Champ satellite, which collected data from 2000 to 2010, was built to an Astrium design. The Swarm constellation is now the logical next step down this path. In terms of technology, Swarm has benefited from the legacy of both the Champ satellite and Cryosat, the polar ice research satellite – both projects led by Astrium. When it comes to overall system design, individual subsystems and test ranges, Astrium’s satellite builders can draw on the wealth of experience they gained in these earlier projects.
Astrium and ESA’s ‘Living Planet’ Earth observation programme
Swarm is the ‘Three-satellite-mission’ in ESA’s ‘Living Planet’ programme. Its mission is to study the Earth’s magnetic field. In its role as industrial prime contractor, Astrium (Friedrichshafen) is responsible for developing and building the Swarm satellites. Astrium is also actively involved in developing other satellites for ESA’s Earth Explorer missions. The company is the prime contractor for the EarthCARE Earth observation satellite which is currently under construction and for the ADM-Aeolus wind mission. Furthermore, Astrium built the Cryosat-2 ice research satellite, which was launched on 8 April 2010. Astrium also supplied the platform for GOCE, which has been successfully ‘surfing’ and measuring the Earth’s gravitational field since 17 March 2009. Astrium also developed and built the Miras payload for the SMOS mission for the observation of soil moisture and salinity over the oceans, which was launched on 2 November 2009.
About Astrium
Astrium is the number one company in Europe for space technologies and the second in the world. It is the only global company that covers the full range of civil and defence space systems, equipment and services.
In 2012, Astrium had a turnover over O5.8 billion and 18,000 employees worldwide.
Its three business units are: Astrium Space Transportation, the European prime contractor for launchers, orbital systems and space exploration; Astrium Satellites, a leading provider of satellite system solutions, including spacecraft, ground segments, payloads and equipments; Astrium Services, the Space services partner for critical missions, providing comprehensive fixed and mobile solutions covering secure and commercial satcoms and networks, and bespoke geo-information services, worldwide.
Astrium is a wholly owned subsidiary of EADS, a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2012, the Group – comprising Airbus, Astrium, Cassidian and Eurocopter – generated revenues of O56.5 billion and employed a workforce of over 140,000.
