SWARM

Mission Profile

SWARM is an ESA constellation of three identical spacecraft launched in November 2013 to provide the most detailed survey of Earth's magnetic field ever conducted from space, addressing how the geomagnetic field is generated and how it changes over time. The three satellites — Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie — fly in carefully controlled orbits to separate measurements of different magnetic field sources including the core, mantle, crust, oceans, ionosphere, and magnetosphere. SWARM data has revealed the weakening and migration of the South Atlantic Anomaly, measured ocean electric currents, and improved models of the geomagnetic field used for navigation and space weather prediction. The constellation has operated well beyond its nominal four-year lifetime, providing continuity in global magnetic field measurement.