CEOS EO HANDBOOK – MISSION SUMMARY - MAGIC/MCDO -
Full Name Mass-change And Geosciences International Constellation - Mass Change Designated Observable Status Approved
Mission Agencies NASA, ESA Launch Date Dec 2032
Mission Links mission site EOL Date Dec 2040
EO Portal Info NORAD Catalog #
International Designator
Orbit Type Inclined, non-sun-synchronous Orbit Period
Orbit Sense TBD Orbit Inclination 65 deg
Orbit Altitude 500 km Orbit Longitude
Orbit LST Repeat Cycle 7 days
Objectives and Applications Mass-change And Geoscience International Constellation (MAGIC) concept based on NASA's Mass Change Designated Observable mission (MCDO). MAGIC/MCDO 2-sat constellation will measure fluctuations in Earth’s gravitational field, allowing the study of hydrological phenomena such as mass transport, as well as building on the success of previous missions in the field, such as the Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) mission, the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), and its follow-on mission, GRACE-FO. MAGIC will provide data continuity for the mass transport time series from these missions, as well as improvements in the temporal and spatial resolution of gravitational field mapping. This greater resolution in mapping Earth’s gravitational field will also allow enhanced study of mass transport, the shift of water mass between phases of the global water cycle, as mass transport has a calculable impact on gravitational field fluctuations.
Mission Measurements
CategoryParameterInstrument(s)
Gravity and Magnetic FieldsGravity, Magnetic and Geodynamic measurements LTI
LandSoil moisture LTI
OceanOcean topography/currents LTI
Surface temperature (ocean) LTI
Snow & IceIce sheet topography LTI
Sea ice cover, edge and thickness LTI
Mission Instruments
LTI - Laser Tracking Instrument
MicroSTAR accelerometer - MicroSTAR accelerometer
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