Aurora (satellites)

Aurora
Operator European Space Agency
ApplicationsSpace weather
Production
Planned5 to 7
Launched0
Maiden launch2030 (planned)
← SAWA

Aurora-D and Aurora-C are future space weather missions under development by the European Space Agency's Space Safety Programme (S2P).[1][2][3][4] Aurora-D (Demonstration) is a single spacecraft intended to demonstrate technologies needed for Aurora-C (Constellation), a full operational constellation of four to six small satellites in medium Earth orbit (MEO) enabling a continuous auroral oval monitoring for improved understanding of geomagnetic storms and other space weather effects.[5][6][7] Aurora will be the third part of ESA's Distributed Space Weather Sensor System (D3S).[8] The Aurora-D mission has been approved by ESA and its launch is expected in 2030.[9]

Instruments

The primary instrument of the satellites will be the Wide Field of View Auroral Imager (WFAI) consisting of two components, the Auroral Optical Spectral Imager (AOSI) and the Auroral UV Imager (AUI). The satellites will be also equipped with in-situ measurement instruments, possibly a magnetometer, plasma monitor and/or neutral atom particle spectrometer.[7][10]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Staniscia, Giada; Lagaune, Bastiaan; Berge, Sten; Battelino, Milan; Kraft, Stefan (2023-08-07). "A Small Satellite Constellation for Monitoring of the Aurora". Small Satellite Conference.
  2. ↑ "Aurora". Absolut System. Retrieved 2026-05-02.
  3. ↑ "Aurora: ESA's Small Satellite Missions to Monitor the Auroral Oval — IAF Digital Library". dl.iafastro.directory. Retrieved 2026-05-02.
  4. ↑ Glover, Alexi; Heil, Melanie; Kraft, Stefan; Luntama, Juha-Pekka (2026). Gopalswamy, Nat; Banyś, Daniela; Gadimova, Sharafat (eds.). "Space Weather Within ESA's Space Safety Programme". Proceedings of the United Nations/Germany Workshop on the International Space Weather Initiative. Singapore: Springer Nature: 275–284. doi:10.1007/978-981-95-1121-1_31. ISBN 978-981-95-1121-1.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: periodical has ISBN (link)
  5. ↑ Gallardo-Lacourt, Bea; Grandin, Maxime; Marchaudon, Aurélie; Barthelemy, Mathieu (2026-01-29). "Unresolved Questions in Subauroral Science: Exploring Key Challenges in Physics and Chemistry". Surveys in Geophysics. doi:10.1007/s10712-026-09928-9. hdl:10138/631237. ISSN 1573-0956.
  6. ↑ Ishii, Mamoru; Eduardo Rezende Costa, Joaquim; Kuznetsova, Maria M.; Andries, Jesse; Gopalswamy, Natchimuthuk; Belehaki, Anna; Alfonsi, Lucilla; Shiokawa, Kazuo; Stanislawska, Iwona; Bingham, Suzy; Kalegaev, Vladimir; Kent Tobiska, W.; Rees, David; Glover, Alexi; Spann, James F. (2024-06-12). "Pathways to global coordination in space weather: International organizations, initiatives, and space agencies". Advances in Space Research. doi:10.1016/j.asr.2024.06.017. ISSN 0273-1177.
  7. 1 2 "Space Weather Projects and Core Activities - CM22". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2026-05-02.
  8. ↑ Space Safety Brochure CM25
  9. ↑ "ESA Space Safety Fleet". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2026-05-02.
  10. ↑ Space Weather Within ESA’s Space Safety Programme
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