The Swarm constellation prepares for launch

ESA’s three Swarm satellites, designed to study the earth’s magnetic field, have successfully come through the last round of tests and have now been presented to the media before being sent on to Russia in preparation for their launch, scheduled for July this year.

Swarm is ESA’s first ever earth-observation satellite constellation specifically designed to pick up the magnetic signals sent out by the earth’s core, mantle, crust, oceans, ionosphere and magnetosphere. This information will give scientists crucial insights into the complex mechanisms regulating the earth’s protective magnetic field.

GMV has played an important role in the Swarm mission from the word go. It participated in mission definition studies and developed a system-performance simulator, also taking part in design tasks and developing, manufacturing, integrating, testing and installing the mission’s onboard GPS receptor.

Additionally it developed the operational instrumental data processors for the three satellites and produced level 1b, level 2 and quasi real time products.
Under a contract with ESOC, GMV has also been responsible for developing the control center for receiving and processing satellite telemetry and their instruments and generating the necessary commands for correct mission operation. It has also developed the orbit control system for determining satellite position and attitude and generating any necessary orbital correction maneuvers for proper mission operation.

The SWARM Mission Control System (SMCS) is based on existing SCOS-2000 infrastructure and the Earth Explorer Kernel, which implements functions common to all ESA’s low-orbit missions. SMCS is the first to use the multi-mission characteristics of SCOS-2000 operationally.

The various GMV projects include on-site support of company personnel to prepare the launch and mission operations.

Within five months the three satellites will be put into orbit by a Rockot launcher lifting off from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia. Swarm will then become ESA’s fourth orbiting Earth Explorer mission, following in the wake of GOCE, SMOS and CryoSat.