Earth Explorer

We need the Earth to have a magnetic field to keep our atmosphere where we need it to be.  Over the last few decades it has become apparent that the field is weakening; this may just be part of a natural variability in the strength of the field but it does highlight the fact that we don't know enough about it.

In order to try to understand the field it is essential that we make a map of it.  The European Space Agency has launched three satellites today to map the field.  They will hopefully provide some answers about a crucial aspect of the Earth's physics and possibly help to find mineral resources as well.

This mission is part of the ESA's Earth Explorer Programme.