ESA awards growth contract for NanoMagSat

Complementing ESA’s well-established sequence of Earth Explorer analysis missions, the Scouts are small satellites that ship value-added science, both by miniaturising current house applied sciences or by demonstrating progressive observing strategies.

Notably, the Scout missions embody the rules of New House, leveraging an agile and cost-effective growth course of to attain their targets effectively.

The contract, value €34.6 million, for the construct, launch and commissioning of NanoMagSat was signed by ESA and Open Cosmos at present on the ESA Earth Observation Commercialisation Forum, which is happening in Frankfurt, Germany.

Open Cosmos within the UK and Spain are the Prime Contractors for the mission. COMET-Aerospace in Spain, CEA-Léti in France, the Technical College of Denmark, the College of Oslo in Norway, the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris and the Université Paris Cité in France are all within the consortium.

ESA’s Director of Earth Commentary Programmes, Simonetta Cheli, stated, “Right now marks a big milestone for the NanoMagSat mission, a constellation of three small satellites.

“Aligning with the speedy growth timeline set for Scout missions, the primary NanoMagSat is scheduled to launch by late 2027, adopted by the opposite two satellites in 2028.”

“We stay up for working with Open Cosmos and the commercial consortium to fulfill this bold schedule.”

Rafel Jorda, CEO and co-founder of Open Cosmos Ltd, added, “The NanoMagSat mission represents a big leap ahead in house know-how and Earth statement.

“By miniaturising superior devices and using progressive approaches, we aren’t solely pushing the boundaries of what small satellites can obtain, but in addition delivering impactful options for understanding Earth’s magnetic subject and its many purposes.

“Along with our companions and ESA, we’re proud to steer this bold mission that may ship useful insights for science and business alike.”

Every satellite tv for pc will carry a miniaturised absolute magnetometer on the finish of a increase and a high-frequency magnetometer half-way alongside the increase for magnetic measurements, a Langmuir probe to measure electron temperature and density, and two GNSS receivers.

Following on from ESA’s Swarm mission, NanoMagSat will result in a much-improved understanding of the dynamics of the magnetic subject and of the function of the Solar within the coupled atmospheric–ionospheric–magnetospheric system.

Data delivered by NanoMagSat shall be utilized in some ways, equivalent to for house climate hazard assessments, exact navigation, reference fashions for good telephones, directional drilling and within the World Magnetic Mannequin.

Gauthier Hulot, Principal Investigator and CNRS Analysis Director on the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, concluded, “The scientific neighborhood is prepared and desperate to show how such a Scout mission can contribute to additional advance our understanding of the complicated dynamics of Earth’s magnetic subject and of the ionospheric setting, past the numerous outcomes of the very profitable Earth Explorer Swarm mission.”