SWC 1 (Space Weather CubeSat 1)

Space Weather CubeSat-1 (SWC-1) is a small scientific 12U CubeSat developed by the Saudi Space Agency of Saudi Arabia to investigate first dedicated space weather mission.

The purpose of the mission is to study space weather phenomena at distances beyond low Earth orbit. Measurements are intended to improve understanding of the space environment influenced by solar activity, including conditions that can affect spacecraft systems and communications.

SWC-1 is designed to operate in high Earth orbit, allowing observations in regions that are less frequently sampled by small satellites. Data collected during the mission are expected to complement existing space weather observations from near-Earth and heliophysics missions.

SWC-1 is scheduled to be launched as a secondary payload on the Artemis II mission, currently planned for April 2026. Artemis 2 will be the first crewed test flight of NASA’s SLS (Block 1) iCPS and Orion spacecraft. After launch, SWC-1 is planned to be deployed from the SLS rocket once the Orion spacecraft has safely separated and is on its outbound trajectory. Following deployment, the CubeSat will enter high Earth orbit and begin its scientific mission.