Swarm-A, -B, and -C
Jump to: Mission Objectives, Mission Instrumentation, Mission Parameters, Additional Information
Mission Photos:
Courtesy of ESA
Mission Objectives:
Swarm consists of three identical satellites and is ESA’s first constellation of Earth observation satellites. Swarm will provide a survey of the Earth's geomagnetic field and its temporal evolution.
SLR will be used to support to precise orbit determination (main instrument for POD is GPS receiver). Furthermore, SLR will be used to calibrate the GPS receiver system in the initial phase of the mission and to maintain external reference afterwards.
Mission Instrumentation:
The Swarm satellites will have the following positioning instrumentation onboard:
- Absolute Scalar Magnetometer (ASM)
- Vector Field Magnetometer (VFM)
- Electrical Field Instrument (EFI)
- Accelerometer (ACC)
- Laser Retro Reflector (LRR)
- GPS Receiver
Mission Parameters:
| Swarm-A | Swarm-B | Swarm-C | |
| Sponsor: | ESA | ESA | ESA |
| Expected Life: | 4 years | 4 years | 4 years |
| Primary Applications: | Geomagnetic field mapping | Geomagnetic field mapping | Geomagnetic field mapping |
| COSPAR ID: | 1306702 | 1306701 | 1306703 |
| SIC Code: | 8007 | 8008 | 8009 |
| Satellite Catalog (NORAD) Number: | 39452 | 39451 | 39453 |
| Launch Date: | Nov-22-2013 | Nov-22-2013 | Nov-22-2013 |
| RRA Size: | 5 cm diameter | 5 cm diameter | 5 cm diameter |
| RRA Shape: | rectangular | rectangular | rectangular |
| Reflectors: | 4 corner cubes | 4 corner cubes | 4 corner cubes |
| Orbit: | polar | polar | polar |
| Orbital Period: | 5618 sec | 5618 sec | 5795 sec |
| Inclination: | 88.35 degrees | 88.35 degrees | 88.95 degrees |
| Eccentricity: | 0.00139 | 0.00139 | 0.00139 |
| Altitude: | 460 km | 460 km | 530 km |
| NPT Bin Size: | 5 sec | 5 sec | 5 sec |
Additional Information:
Web sites:
- Swarm page at ESA
Publications:
- Meyer, U., Sosnica, K., Arnold D., Dahle, C., Thaller, D., Dach, R., and A. Jäggi (2019). "SLR, GRACE and Swarm Gravity Field Determination and Combination", Remote Sensing, 11(8), 956, DOI: 10.3390/rs11080956
- Montenbruck O., Hackel, S., van den Ijssel, J., and D. Arnold (2018), "Reduced dynamic and kinematic precise orbit determination for the Swarm mission from 4 years of GPS tracking", GPS Solutions, 22(3), UNSP79, DOI: 10.1007/s10291-018-0746-6
- Van den Ijssel, J., Encarnacao, J., Doornbos, E., and P. Visser (2015), "Precise science orbits for the Swarm satellite constellation", Adv. Space Res., 56(6), 1042-1055, DOI: 10.1016/j.asr.2015.06.002
