Launching three satellites to study Earth’s magnetic field and ionosphere, starting in 2026, the European Space Agency has sanctioned €34.6 million to Open Cosmos-led mission.
The European Space Agency (ESA) has granted a €34.6 million contract to a consortium led by UK-based Open Cosmos to develop, launch, and operate a trio of satellites for its ‘NanoMagSat’ mission.
This agreement was finalised on Wednesday during the ESA Earth Observation Commercialisation Forum in Frankfurt, Germany.
NanoMagSat, approved for development in February 2024 by ESA’s Earth Observation Programme Board, is part of the agency’s Scout initiative. This programme aims to enhance existing missions by miniaturising technology or testing new observation techniques. Scout missions are limited to a budget of €35 million and must be launched within three years of initiation.
Open Cosmos, with operations in both the UK and Spain, will serve as the lead contractor for the mission, which includes an international consortium of partners: COMET-Aerospace, CEA-Léti, the Technical University of Denmark, the University of Oslo in Norway, the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, and Université Paris Cité in France.
Together, these entities will contribute to designing, developing, and deploying the mission’s satellite constellation to study Earth’s magnetic field and ionospheric conditions.
The NanoMagSat mission will consist of three satellites, each weighing 24 kilograms and operating at an altitude of 545 km. These compact satellites will be equipped with advanced instruments, including a miniaturised absolute magnetometer attached to a boom, a high-frequency magnetometer located halfway along the boom, a Langmuir probe for monitoring electron temperature and density, and two GNSS receivers for accurate positioning and measurements.
The satellites will work in tandem to gather crucial data about the Earth’s magnetic environment and the behaviour of the ionosphere.
The first satellite in the trio is set to launch in 2026, with the other two following in 2027. The satellites are expected to operate for three years, collecting data of space weather, which affects global communications, navigation, and satellite technologies.
