Tech Frontier | China launches first autonomous real-time geomagnetic model

(ECNS) -- Chinese scientists have announced a real-time and four-dimensional model for the earth magnetic field, the first independently developed and autonomous one of its kind.

This breakthrough was made by the research team of the Macao Science-1, China's first high-precision geomagnetic field detection satellite. It is expected to play a key role in advancing geoscience research and promoting the application of earth-magnetism navigation.

According to Zhang Keke, chief scientist of the satellite project, the model makes full use of the high-precision earth magnetic field data provided by Macao Science-1 satellite, which can be applied to the scientific study of deep earth, ocean, and geospace, as well as to the fields of aerospace navigation, resource exploration, and smart devices.

The newly-released model is built with core technologies, algorithms and software independently developed by the satellite’s research team. “We will continue updating the version of the model in tandem with the data collection, new algorithms and software,” Zhang added.

Since its launch in May 2023, the Macao Science-1 satellite has generated a large quantity of high-precision scientific data, laying a solid foundation for the development of the new model.

The earth magnetic field is the only physical field that reflects the characteristics of the its core, mantle, oceans, lithosphere, as well as the ionosphere and magnetosphere.

Macao Science-1 is the first space science satellite jointly developed by the Chinese Mainland and Macao. Macao Science-2, which has already been approved by the Macao SAR, is expected to be launched in 2026.

By then, the two satellites will jointly deliver high-precision spatiotemporal data of the earth magnetic field worldwide.