Complementing ESA’s well-established series of Earth Explorer research missions, the Scouts are small satellites that deliver value-added science, either by miniaturising existing space technologies or by demonstrating innovative observing techniques.
Notably, the Scout missions embody the principles of New Space, leveraging an agile and cost-effective development process to achieve their goals efficiently.
The contract, worth €34.6 million, for the build, launch and commissioning of NanoMagSat was signed by ESA and Open Cosmos today at the ESA Earth Observation Commercialisation Forum, which is taking place in Frankfurt, Germany.
Open Cosmos in the UK and Spain are the Prime Contractors for the mission. COMET-Aerospace in Spain, CEA-Léti in France, the Technical University of Denmark, the University of Oslo in Norway, the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris and the Université Paris Cité in France are all in the consortium.
ESA’s Director of Earth Observation Programmes, Simonetta Cheli, said, “Today marks a significant milestone for the NanoMagSat mission, a constellation of three small satellites.
“Aligning with the rapid development timeline set for Scout missions, the first NanoMagSat is scheduled to launch by late 2027, followed by the other two satellites in 2028.”
“We look forward to working with Open Cosmos and the industrial consortium to meet this ambitious schedule.”
Rafel Jorda, CEO and co-founder of Open Cosmos Ltd, added, “The NanoMagSat mission represents a significant leap forward in space technology and Earth observation.
“By miniaturising advanced instruments and employing innovative approaches, we are not only pushing the boundaries of what small satellites can achieve, but also delivering impactful solutions for understanding Earth’s magnetic field and its many applications.
“Together with our partners and ESA, we are proud to lead this ambitious mission that will deliver valuable insights for science and industry alike.”
Each satellite will carry a miniaturised absolute magnetometer at the end of a boom and a high-frequency magnetometer half-way along the boom 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 lead to a much-improved understanding of the dynamics of the magnetic field and of the role of the Sun in the coupled atmospheric–ionospheric–magnetospheric system.
Information delivered by NanoMagSat will be used in many ways, such as for space weather hazard assessments, precise navigation, reference models for smart phones, directional drilling and in the World Magnetic Model.
Gauthier Hulot, Principal Investigator and CNRS Research Director at the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, concluded, “The scientific community is ready and eager to demonstrate how such a Scout mission can contribute to further advance our understanding of the complex dynamics of Earth’s magnetic field and of the ionospheric environment, beyond the many results of the very successful Earth Explorer Swarm mission.”
See related articles at www.esa.int.
