SAWA – 2nd Space Weather Nanosat
Commissioned by: European Space Agency (ESA), Space Safety Programme
Creotech's Role: Prime Contractor, Mission Integrator, and HyperSat Platform Provider
Model: mission-as-a-service, the first contract of its kind between a Polish company and ESA
Start: early 2029; observations for up to 3 years
Geomagnetic storms and streams of high-energy particles caused by solar activity can disrupt the operation of satellites, navigation systems, radio communications and even power grids. To protect against them effectively, they must be detected early and accurately predicted.
SAWA is a satellite that will study the upper layers of the atmosphere and monitor the impact of solar activity on conditions in low Earth orbit. Data from the mission will feed into ESA’s space weather service and the European early warning system. The satellite will form part of ESA’s Distributed Space Weather Sensor System (D3S).
Creotech Instruments is responsible for the entire mission: from building the satellite on the HyperSat platform, through systems integration, to its operation in orbit. The scientific instruments will be supplied by the Space Research Centre of the Polish Academy of Sciences and Wrocław University of Technology, whilst the software will be provided by N7 Space. The contract follows on from the 0/A phases, which we completed in 2025.