Description
Space-based in situ measurements of the magnetic field are crucial for deciphering the underpinning processes at work in space plasmas, as well as for providing operational information that can be used in space weather monitoring and forecasting. However, the available resources can be highly limited in some mission scenarios which may preclude the use of a traditional technology approach, even though such instrumentation may be high performance and high heritage. To address these challenges, MAGIC (MAGnetometer from Imperial College), a highly miniaturised instrument with an extremely small resource envelope, has been developed.
In this contribution we introduce the MAGIC instrument and describe the most recent advances in its development. We summarise the results from the 3-year flight of MAGIC on the RadCube CubeSat which concluded in 2024, including successful observations during the May 2024 Geomagnetic storm, and introduce upcoming flights including ERSA on Lunar Gateway and the HENON deep-space CubeSat. We also present lessons learned, and comment on how these and similar instruments may play a crucial role in enabling rapid, low-cost science advances.
