Tags: ESA, Satellite Mission, Earth 
Publication: UCalgary.ca
Publication Date: 07/26/2013

University of Calgary scientist Johnathan Burchill and COM DEV Canada technician Kevin Lush prepare a Swarm Electric Field Instrument for testing at the university.  Image credit: David Knudsen

Space scientists at the University of Calgary have a principal role in the European Space Agency (ESA) Swarm mission, a triple-satellite mission created to better understand Earth’s magnetic field, including the weakening of our planet’s protective “shield” against cosmic radiation.

 

University scientists in the Department of Physics and Astronomy also contributed to the early design, in-flight software, and final testing for a space plasma imager, one of the instrument’s critical components.

 

Swarm’s three identical satellites, built by Astrium, each carry a total of three different instruments designed to distinguish between global and regional effects of different sources of magnetism.

 

The Swarm mission is scheduled to launch in November.

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