Swarm Fast-track Field-Aligned Currents (FAC) and Total Electron Content (TEC) data products

The European Space Agency's (ESA) Swarm mission is designed to conduct a highly detailed survey of Earth's geomagnetic field and its changes over time. Launched on November 22, 2013, the mission consists of three identical satellites, Alpha (A), Bravo (B), and Charlie (C), into near-polar Low Earth Orbits (LEO). Swarm A and C fly side-by-side at approximately 470 km above Earth, while Swarm B maintains a higher orbit at around 520 km. Each Swarm satellite has six advanced scientific instruments providing precise measurements: an absolute scalar and vector field magnetometer, a star tracker, an electric field instrument (Langmuir probe and thermal ion imager), a GPS receiver, and an accelerometer. For over a decade and continuing to this day, the Swarm mission has been delivering high-quality data, providing valuable insights into Earth’s magnetic field, ionosphere, and other
dynamic processes in the near-Earth environment.

The Swarm L1b fast-track (FAST) operational chain data are distributed at a significantly faster pace and higher frequency than the standard products (OPER), which typically become available after a delay of three days. FAST data products are designed to minimize the time gap between event occurrence and measurement, providing near real-time access to critical information. This accelerated data delivery enhances the capability to monitor and forecast space weather more effectively. In particular, the Field-Aligned Currents (FAC) and Total Electron Content (TEC) data products rely on L1b products as essential inputs for processing within the GFZ L2 data product chain. Here, we present the fast operational Field-Aligned Currents (FAC) and Total Electron Content (TEC) data products. A comparison with OPER products shows that the FAST data maintains high quality, as it is based on the same algorithms used for the standard OPER products. Despite the faster processing and delivery, the FAST FAC and TEC products offer reliable results that align closely with the operational products. This suggests that the FAST products can be effectively used for real-time space weather monitoring and forecasting while maintaining the accuracy of the information provided.