CLUSTER

Cluster is an ESA mission with the participation of 4 French laboratories (CESR, LPC2E, LPP, LESIA) and in collaboration with NASA.
Its main objective is to separate the temporal and spatial variations of the parameters measured in the environment of the Earth's plasma. A complete three-dimensional spatial separation requires at least four satellites, which are Samba, Tango, Rumba and Salsa. This mission with the Solar Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) together comprised the Terrestrial Solar Science Program (STSP), the first 'Cornerstone' of ESA's Horizons 2000 program. These two missions were selected at the same time to study the relationship between the Sun and the Earth's environment.
Following the failed launch of the four Cluster-1 satellites (June 1998), the Cluster-II mission was successfully renewed on August 2000, carrying an almost identical Cluster-I payload. Science operations officially began on February 2001. Since then, the main objectives of the STSP have been achieved and the lifetimes of the SOHO and Cluster missions have been extended.

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