[2/19/07] SciSys, a software services provider, has signed a contract with EADS Astrium GmbH to develop on-board satellite software for the three-satellite Swarm mission, part in the European Space Agency’s Living Planet program.

The Swarm satellites, which are scheduled to be launched in 2009, will occupy three different polar orbits to survey the geomagnetic field and its evolution. High-precision and high-resolution measurements of the strength and direction of the magnetic field will be provided by each satellite. The resulting geomagnetic field models will improve understanding of atmospheric processes related to climate and weather.