Macau Scientific Satellite‐1 Initial Magnetic Field Model

Abstract Eight months of vector magnetic field measurements from the Macau Scientific Satellite‐1 (MSS‐1), supplemented by higher latitude field intensity measurements from the Swarm satellites, are used to derive an MSS‐1 Initial Field Model (MIFM). Robust root‐mean‐square misfits between MIFM and the three components of the MSS‐1 vector field data are found to be below 3.3 nT. MIFM agrees well with the CHAOS‐7 field model and we find even better agreement with an identically parameterized model derived only from Swarm data. MSS‐1 and Swarm vector data can moreover be fit simultaneously with only a small increase in misfit (by less than 0.2 nT). We show that both lithospheric anomalies and core surface field changes can be studied using MSS‐1 data. With its fast coverage of local times MSS‐1 is a valuable addition to the global geomagnetic observing system.