OpenCosmos signs £35m deal with ESA

Open Cosmos, which makes satellites for data-gathering, and the European Space Agency (ESA) have  signed a  contract for the development, launch, and commissioning of NanoMagSat, the 3rd mission in the ESA Scout framework tapping into New Space and complementing ESA’s series of Earth Explorer research missions.

The mission will use a constellation of three satellites to advance the understanding and monitoring of Earth’s magnetic field and ionospheric environment.

The magnetic field, essential to life on Earth, shields the planet from energetic charged particles. Understanding its dynamics is vital for precise navigation, geophysical surveying, and studying the properties of Earth’s shallow and deep structures.

NanoMagSat will complement and extend the electromagnetic field measurements of ESA’s highly successful Swarm mission, ensuring continuous European leadership in magnetic field observation from space—a legacy that has been maintained since 1999.

The NanoMagSat mission is designed to monitor the Earth’s magnetic field and ionospheric environment with unparalleled spatio-temporal coverage and revisit times. It consists of three satellites, which will orbit the Earth at an altitude of 545 km, with two satellites positioned at a 60° inclination and one in a prograde polar orbit.

The first satellite is planned for launch by late 2027, the next two following closely after that, making a constellation to operate for a 3-year lifetime.

Each satellite will be equipped with advanced payloads, including a Miniaturised Absolute Magnetometer (MAM) paired with star cameras on top of a deployable boom to deliver high-accuracy magnetic field measurements, a High-Frequency Magnetometer (HFM) in the middle of the boom for detailed vector field analysis, and a Multi-Needle Langmuir Probe (m-NLP) to capture ionospheric plasma density and dynamics. Dual-frequency GNSS receivers will provide data for ionospheric modelling and radio-occultation studies.

The mission will provide  data for scientific exploitation. This data will have multiple applications such as space weather assessment, enhanced navigation and directional drilling precision, and contribute to climate studies by observing fast planetary magnetic changes and ionospheric plasma dynamics.

Open Cosmos leads a consortium of European organisations contributing to the NanoMagSat mission. Open Cosmos serves as the prime contractor and satellite manufacturer. CEA-Léti in France is responsible for the payload development and magnetometer manufacturer, while COMET Aerospace in Spain will deliver the deployable boom and optical bench.

The Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, Université Paris Cité, in France provides scientific leadership for the mission.

The University of Oslo in Norway develops the Langmuir probes, and the Technical University of Denmark contributes with its expertise in advanced star trackers.

Simonetta Cheli, ESA Director of Earth Observation Programs, remarked: “NanoMagSat is an exemplary addition to the Scout program, blending innovation, efficiency, and scientific excellence. This mission reinforces Europe’s leadership in Earth observation and fosters impactful collaborations across industry and research institutions.”

Rafel Jorda Siquier, CEO and founder at Open Cosmos, stated: “NanoMagSat embodies the innovation and collaboration that defines 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. It’s a privilege to lead a consortium with such high calibre scientists and partners to deliver what will be a groundbreaking mission.”

Florian Deconinck, VP of Growth at Open Cosmos, stated: “NanoMagSat is a great example of the complementarity of small missions to larger ones. A small satellite size makes it ideal to minimise electromagnetic noise, and be deployed in constellations for better spatio-temporal coverage, all within the efficient Scout programmatic constraint. A first step towards an international space network for long term monitoring of the Earth magnetic field.”

The NanoMagSat mission is a step toward a permanent space-based magnetic field observation system.