Swales Aerospace has been selected by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to build five satellites in support of its next Medium-Class Explorer Mission. Named THEMIS -- for Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms -- the 2007 mission is expected to provide answers to critical questions about the magnetosphere area and related space weather.

The University of California, Berkeley (UCB), will lead THEMIS at a total mission cost to NASA of $173 million.

"This is a major strategic win for Swales Aerospace" said Tom Wilson, Chief Executive Officer. "We've been working with the UCB for more than four years in crafting the THEMIS program and now we stand on the threshold of answers to some key scientific questions."

As prime contractor for the satellites and satellite dispensers, Swales Aerospace will also perform mission integration, lead satellite launch operations and satellite checkout. THEMIS design activity is scheduled to begin next month with a Preliminary Design Review tentatively scheduled for August of this year.

THEMIS consists of five small satellites carrying identical suites of electric, magnetic, and particle detectors which will be used to determine the cause of global reconfigurations of the earth's magnetosphere, a region of the upper atmosphere that extends for thousands of miles. Every four days the five satellites will be lined up along the Earth's magnetic trail allowing them to track disturbances. This data will be combined with observations of the aurora-a luminous phenomenon of streamers or arches of lights in the upper atmosphere-with other data collected by a network of observatories across the Arctic Circle.

"Basically, we hope to solve the mystery surrounding the transport and explosive release of solar wind energy within the earth's space environment," said Michael J. Cully, director of civil and commercial programs for Swales. "In addition, we believe THEMIS will also be able to answers some critical questions about radiation belt physics as that science relates to solar winds."

Each of the five THEMIS satellites will incorporate flight-proven instruments and subsystems designed to lower cost and increase systems reliability. Launch of the THEMIS mission is projected on aboard a Delta II rocket in the year 2007.

"The Explorer program allows the science community to identify the most compelling science questions and then design the most effective mission to answer those questions," said Edward Weiler, Associate NASA Administrator for Space Science. "The THEMIS mission we've selected will directly address the science goals of the NASA strategic plan within a focused, moderate sized project."

THEMIS is a complementary program to NASA's Magnetosphere Multistage program and considered a technology pathfinder for future Solar Terrestrial Probe missions, a Sun Earth Connection theme of NASA's Office of Space Science and managed by the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland.

An employee-owned business, Swales Aerospace provides state-of-the-art engineering solutions and spacecraft, as well as a broad range of structural and thermal management systems for the global satellite industry.

The company is headquartered in Beltsville, Md., posted annual revenues of $157 million during 2002 and employs more than 900 aerospace professionals in offices in Maryland, Virginia, California, Florida and Texas. Additional information about the company is available at www.swales.com.