Small satellite manufacturer Open Cosmos announced that it has secured a contract from the European Space Agency to provide three cubesats for the NanoMagSat mission.
According to the United Kingdom-based company, each Open Cosmos spacecraft will feature advanced payloads, such as a miniaturized absolute magnetometer coupled with star cameras on top of a deployable boom to deliver high-accuracy magnetic field measurements. Data collected by the cubesats will provide scientists with a basis for space weather assessments and contribute to climate studies.
The ESA’s NanoMagSat project, the third mission of the Scout framework, will initially launch its first satellite by late 2027, with the next two expected to follow shortly after and are expected to orbit the plane for three years. It follows the European agency’s Swarm initiative, which used larger satellites to observe the Earth’s magnetic field.
Open Cosmos CEO and founder Rafel Jorda Siquier expressed his team’s excitement to contribute to a better understanding of space and the planet.
“NanoMagSat embodies the innovation and collaboration that define the New Space approach. This mission demonstrates how small satellites can deliver impactful science, advancing our understanding of Earth’s magnetic field and ionospheric environment,” the chief executive said.