# Swarm
*missions*

## Specifications
- **operator**: esa
- **launch vehicle**: rockot-breeze-km
- **actual launch**: 2013-11-22
- **current status**: extended
- **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.
- **entity type**: mission
- **last verified date**: 2026-06-08
- **verified by**: agency-doc
- **claim status**: agency-sourced
- **provider**: esa
- **attributes**: {"operator":"esa","launch_vehicle":"rockot-breeze-km","actual_launch":"2013-11-22","current_status":"extended","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."}
- **relevance**: in-scope

## Editorial
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.[^esa-swarm-facts] The constellation consists of three identical satellites commonly identified as Swarm Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie.[^wmo-swarm-programme]

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.[^esa-swarm-facts] The mission launched from Plesetsk on Rockot with a Breeze-KM upper stage.[^esa-swarm-launch] 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.[^wmo-swarm-a]

## Compositional position
- Swarm --[mission_payloads]--> swarm-vector-field-magnetometer (products)
- Swarm --[mission_payloads]--> swarm-absolute-scalar-magnetometer (products)
- Swarm --[data_products_from_missions]--> swarm-level-2-magnetic-field-models (data_products)
- champ (missions) --[successor]--> Swarm
- swarm-level-2-processor (standards) --[related]--> Swarm

## Sources
- [esa-swarm-facts] | Swarm facts and figures, ESA | https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/FutureEO/Swarm/Facts_and_figures | tier=agency-doc | accessed=2026-06-08
- [esa-swarm-launch] | Swarm about the launch, ESA | https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/FutureEO/Swarm/About_the_launch | tier=agency-doc | accessed=2026-06-08
- [wmo-swarm-a] | WMO OSCAR SWARM-A satellite details | https://space.oscar.wmo.int/satellites/view/swarm_a | tier=agency-doc | accessed=2026-06-08
- [wmo-swarm-programme] | WMO OSCAR SWARM satellite programme | https://space.oscar.wmo.int/satelliteprogrammes/view/swarm | tier=agency-doc | accessed=2026-06-08

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Source: https://eo-atlas.org/missions/swarm
Maintainer: SpectraWorks B.V. (CC-BY 4.0)