The European Space Agency’s CryoSat mission, originally designed to monitor Earth’s ice sheets, has unexpectedly added geomagnetic storm measurement to its capabilities after a software upgrade at the end of last year. The almost 16-year-old satellite now utilizes its onboard platform magnetometer, typically used for altitude and orientation control, to gather scientific data on Earth’s magnetosphere with precision, complementing data from ESA’s dedicated Swarm mission. This innovation allows for a secondary, scientifically valuable dataset from an existing system, providing insights into events like the intense radiation storms experienced in January following an X-class solar flare that caused auroras from Europe to Mexico. “This is both unique and exciting,” said Tommaso Parrinello, ESA’s CryoSat Mission Manager. “This is about leveraging data from an existing system that has been used for the past 16 years to actively control the satellite’s orientation in space.” Anja Stromme, ESA’s Mission Manager for Swarm, affirmed this accomplishment, stating, “This is a great accomplishment that significantly benefits the Swarm community.”
CryoSat Platform Magnetometer Enables Geomagnetic Storm Measurement
An ice-monitoring satellite unexpectedly provided crucial data during a significant geomagnetic storm this January, demonstrating an innovative repurposing of existing technology. ESA’s CryoSat, primarily designed to measure polar ice with millimeter accuracy using its advanced radar instrument, recently underwent a software upgrade at the end of last year that unlocked a surprising capability: precise measurement of disturbances in Earth’s magnetic field. The key to this lies in the satellite’s platform magnetometer, originally installed to maintain correct orbital altitude and instrument alignment. This instrument, not initially intended for scientific data collection, now provides a complementary dataset to ESA’s dedicated magnetic field mission, Swarm, effectively creating a second magnetometry mission within the Earth Explorer family. The upgrade allows CryoSat to measure variations in Earth’s stronger external magnetic field, achieving data quality comparable to other platform magnetometers on non-magnetic missions.
Swarm & CryoSat Data Complement Earth’s Magnetic Field Studies
Beyond its primary function of monitoring polar ice, ESA’s CryoSat mission has unexpectedly become a valuable asset in studying Earth’s magnetic field, complementing data gathered by the dedicated Swarm constellation. A software upgrade at the end of last year unlocked the potential of CryoSat’s platform magnetometer, an instrument initially installed to maintain the satellite’s orientation and direct its scientific instruments. While not originally intended for geomagnetic research, the magnetometer’s precision has proven remarkably effective at measuring variations in the planet’s magnetosphere, particularly its stronger external fields. This innovation allows for a dual-mission approach within ESA’s Earth Explorer family, effectively creating a second magnetometry capability alongside Swarm.
The combined data sets are proving particularly useful; CryoSat recently contributed to measuring the intensity of a significant geomagnetic storm triggered by an X-class solar flare on January 18, an event that produced auroras visible at unusually low latitudes, stretching from Europe to Mexico. The ability to generate scientific data from an existing operational system represents a cost-effective advancement, and researchers have already developed a method to analyze the data, showcased in a recent publication in Geophysical Research Letters. There is lots of exciting science still to come as both missions fly on well beyond their design lifetimes.
This is about leveraging data from an existing system that has been used for the past 16 years to actively control the satellite’s orientation in space.
Tommaso Parrinello, ESA’s CryoSat Mission Manager
X-Class Solar Flare Validates CryoSat’s New Magnetometry Skill
ESA’s CryoSat mission, initially designed to monitor polar ice, demonstrated an unexpected capability earlier this year by accurately measuring a disturbance in Earth’s magnetic field, a feat enabled by a remote software upgrade to its platform magnetometer. CryoSat is well known for its advanced radar instrument, which measures changes in ice surfaces with millimeter accuracy, and has contributed significantly to understanding polar oceans and subglacial lakes. Over three days, CryoSat contributed high-quality data, complementing observations from ESA’s dedicated magnetic field mission, Swarm. A new data analysis method, detailed in Geophysical Research Letters, was used to visualize the storm’s impact on Earth’s magnetic field.
This is a great accomplishment that significantly benefits the Swarm community.
Anja Stromme, ESA’s Mission Manager for Swarm
