ESA Approves Development of NanoMagSat Satellite Constellation

[Lurker]

The European Space Agency (ESA) has greenlit the development of the NanoMagSat constellation, marking a significant advancement in the use of small satellites for scientific missions.

NanoMagSat, a flagship mission spearheaded by Open Cosmos together with IPGP (Université Paris Cité, Institut de physique du globe de Paris, CNRS) and CEA-Léti, aims to revolutionise our understanding of Earth's magnetic field and ionospheric environment. As a follow on from ESA's successful Earth Explorer Swarm mission, NanoMagSat will use a constellation of three 16U satellites equipped with state-of-the-art instruments to monitor magnetic fields and ionospheric phenomena. This mission is joining the Scout family, a programme from ESA to deliver scientific small satellite missions within a budget of less than €35 million.

The decision to proceed with NanoMagSat follows the successful completion of Risk Retirement Activities including the development of a 3m-long deployable boom and a satellite platform with exceptional magnetic cleanliness, key to ensuring state-of-the art magnetic accuracy.

ESA’s Director of Earth Observation Programmes, Simonetta Cheli, said of this news: “We are very pleased to add two new Scouts to our Earth observation mission portfolio. These small science missions perfectly complement our more traditional existing and future Earth Explorer missions, and will bring exciting benefits to Earth.”