missions

Swarm

Missions → CHAMP

Swarm is an ESA Earth Explorer three-satellite constellation launched on 22 November 2013 to measure Earth's geomagnetic field and near-Earth electric environment.^[1] The constellation consists of three identical satellites commonly identified as Swarm Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie.^[2]

Each Swarm spacecraft carries a Vector Field Magnetometer and an Absolute Scalar Magnetometer, along with electric-field, acceleration, positioning, star-tracker, and laser retroreflector equipment.^[1] The mission launched from Plesetsk on Rockot with a Breeze-KM upper stage.^[3] SWARM-A remained operational in the 2 February 2026 WMO status record; because the programme exceeded its four-year design life, the catalogue lifecycle is extended as of 8 June 2026.^[4]

Full specification

All fields

current status	extended
operator	European Space Agency
launch vehicle	rockot-breeze-km
Launched	2013-11-22
orbit type	High-inclination drifting LEO; two spacecraft began near 460 km with natural decay toward 300 km, and the third began near 530 km.
tasking supported	false
archive depth years	12
current geographic priority	Global geomagnetic field and near-Earth environment measurements.
Last updated	2026-06-08
claim status	agency-sourced

Where this fits, supply chain

Compositional position

this ——— Swarm Vector Field Magnetometer payload

this ——— Swarm Absolute Scalar Magnetometer payload

this ——— Swarm Level 2 Magnetic Field Models data product

CHAMP ——— this successor

Swarm Level 2 Processor ——— this related

Satellite magnetometry → demonstrated Swarm Vector Field Magnetometer

Satellite magnetometry → demonstrated Swarm Absolute Scalar Magnetometer

Sources

[1]Swarm facts and figures, ESAagency doc2026-06-08
[2]Swarm about the launch, ESAagency doc2026-06-08
[3]WMO OSCAR SWARM-A satellite detailsagency doc2026-06-08
[4]WMO OSCAR SWARM satellite programmeagency doc2026-06-08

Cite https://eo-atlas.org/missions/swarm Markdown twin → Field definitions →