Overview of the Magsat program

The Magsat project which is designed to provide precise measurements of the near-earth geomagnetic field is examined. Rapidly obtained global surveys are possible through satellite observations without the long-term variations obtained by conventional surface measurements. The altitude for Magsat measurements is a trade-off between the lowest possible altitude necessary for increasing the anomaly signals and their spatial resolution, and the minimum satellite lifetime necessary for obtaining adequate data distribution. A nominal perigee of 350 km was selected. The background leading to the project inception and mission objectives are discussed along with plans to study regional geology and geophysics.