Swarm Upper Composite transferred to the launch pad

The Upper Composite, which holds the Swarm assembly satellite, was transferred to the launch pad by train on 18 November, 2013.

ESA’s Swarm mission is ready for launch on a Russian Rockot on 22 November at 12:02 GMT (13:02 CET), from the Plesetsk cosmodrome. The three-satellite Swarm mission aims to unravel one of the most mysterious aspects of our planet: the magnetic field.

Swarm is ESA’s fourth Earth Explorer mission, following GOCE, SMOS and CryoSat.