BackForward Satellite Programme: Magnetospheric MultiScale mission 

Programme details
Programme description
  • Formation of 4 satellites, for observation of the magnetosphere.
  • NASA programme with support from several collaborating institutes.  NASA/GSFC responsible of the programme.
  • The satellite stabilisation is by spin.
  • The design lifetime is 2 years.
  • The four satellites are flown in tetrahedal formation with relative distances initially 10-160 km, then 30-400 km.  The measurement gradients are used to re-construct the 3D magnetic field.  Elliptical low-inclination orbit.
  • For details, see http://mms.gsfc.nasa.gov.
Data circulation
  • All operations managed by NASA/GSFC.
  • Data processing is performed at the Science Operations Center (SOC), located at LASP (Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics) of the University of Colorado, Boulder.
Agencies NASA
Programme lifetime 2015 - 2024
Associated satellites and instruments

Note: red tag => no longer operational , green tag => operational , blue tag => planned