First author. A case study in separating reaction-wheel interference using two vector magnetometers along a boom, with results from e-POP/Swarm-Echo.
Space science missions seeking to take magnetic field measurements are susceptible to local magnetic interference from common satellite subsystems, including reaction wheels, magnetorquers, and solar panels. Magnetic screening and other characterization tests help identify sources of interference and, in some cases, mitigate them by design. Historical algorithms such as the Ness technique are reasonably effective at removing some magnetic sources while preserving the geophysical field. However, complex and time-varying magnetic interference remains a significant challenge, and in recent years multiple algorithms have been developed to mitigate complex interference signals. Here we present a case study of our method, in which we perform feature separation of reaction wheels using information from two vector magnetometers along a boom. In particular we present results from the e-POP/Swarm-Echo mission, and discuss how the methodology applies well beyond that mission and this specific case study.