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Contact: Jean-Michel Leger (jean-michel.leger@cea.fr)
Helping earth from space.
Understanding the Earth’s magnetic field, which shields the planet from the harmful effects of the solar wind, has numerous economic, scientific and practical applications. As a key technology partner in three space missions, Leti has provided its knowhow to help scientists better understand the sources and characteristics of the magnetic field.
Last year was the 10th anniversary of the launch of the Oersted Project, a Danish-led effort intended to provide scientists in Europe with data about the magnetic field from space. Oersted uses a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance magnetometer developed by Leti and provided by CNES to measure the magnetic field.
Also known as an absolute scalar magnetometer, the device demonstrated outstanding performances in metrology and reliability. Extended several meters from the satellite on the end of a boom, the magnetometer still maintains its high level of accuracy independent of orientation – even though Oersted was envisioned as only a 14-month mission.
The success of Oersted spawned other space projects carrying Leti-designed magnetometers. The German mission, CHAMP, was launched in 2000, and Swarm, a project of the European Space Agency, is scheduled for launch in 2011 or 2012.
A Swarm of satellites
The three-satellite Swarm mission will take full advantage of a new generation of Leti-designed magnetometers that will provide measurements over different regions of the Earth simultaneously.
The mission’s objective is to provide the best-ever survey of the magnetic field and its temporal evolution, and gain new insights that will improve our knowledge of the Earth’s interior and climate.
Video:Satellite imagers
Highlights 2009
Leti’s deliverables in 2009 included the magnetometer sensing heads and three completely functional engineering models. We also qualified separately all the subsystems of the Swarm magnetometers, including the electronics, sensor, harness and software, and the laser, which is physically integrated into the data-processing unit.
Leti’s magnetometer will also be onboard the Arctic Challenge mission of J.L. Etienne this year, which directly benefits from the instrument developments carried out for Swarm.
“Once in orbit, the Swarm helium magnetometers will take the relay from the Leti NMR instruments onboard the Oersted and CHAMP satellites, ensuring continuous magnetic-field monitoring from space over more than 15 years.” Jean-Michel Leger, Deputy Head of Systems and System Integration Division
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