Heliophysics

Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission (MMS)

Constellation · Directed · Agency-led · Launched on March 13, 2015 · Extended Mission · LCC: $1.1B/$1.7B (2025 $)Life-cycle cost: NASA’s reported cost to build, launch, and operate a mission through its prime mission, plus documented partner contributions, in 2025 dollars. Extended missions are not included. Methods · Wikipedia

Scope Active Mission WindowActivePapers published from the first full month after science operations begin through two years after the mission ends. Citations are counted through the third calendar year after each paper appears. For MMS, papers published October 1, 2015 to January 1, 2024. Methods LifetimeLifetimeEvery tracked publication to date, with every citation to date. For MMS, papers published from 2015 to November 3, 2026. Methods
Tracked publicationsTracked publications: peer-reviewed papers we found that name the mission or its instruments in their titles, abstracts, or keywords. Papers that used the data without naming it are missed. Methods1,442
CitationsCitations: every citation these publications have drawn to date. Older missions have had longer to collect them. Methods32,926
Citation indices
h-indexh-index: the largest h such that h papers have at least h citations each. It only grows with time, so older missions score higher. Methods71
g-indexg-index: the largest g for which the g most-cited papers together hold at least g² citations. Like the h-index, but it lets the most-cited papers count for more. Methods129
m-indexm-index: a mission’s h-index divided by the years since its first peer-reviewed paper. It falls every 1 January even when nothing else changes; the figure shown is as of November 3, 2026. It also discounts the long operating life that larger missions paid for. Methods5.9
toritori (total research impact, from SciX): for every paper citing one of the mission’s papers, 1 divided by the citing paper’s reference count times the cited paper’s author count, summed, with self-citations removed. It favors citations from papers with short reference lists and from outside the mission’s own authors. Computed over the tracked citation graph, which can be slightly incomplete. Always over every tracked publication to date, whichever scope is chosen. Methods58
riqriq (research impact quotient): 1,000 times the square root of tori, divided by the years since the mission’s first paper. A rate, not a total, so it does not keep growing with age the way the h-index and tori do. Like tori, always over every tracked publication to date. Methods633

Publications and citations by year (lifetime)

Publications per yearCumulative citations

Institutional contributions (lifetime)The institutions SciX lists for each paper’s authors, as printed on the paper, located through the Research Organization Registry. A square counts a paper once, however many of its authors worked there. Methods

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Tracked publications over the lifetime (1,442)

All publications CSV · JSON

  1. Magnetospheric Multiscale Overview and Science Objectives

    Burch, J. L., 2016, SSRv

    1,493 lifetime citations

  2. Fast Plasma Investigation for Magnetospheric Multiscale

    Pollock, C., 2016, SSRv

    1,326 lifetime citations

  3. The Magnetospheric Multiscale Magnetometers

    Russell, C. T., 2016, SSRv

    1,229 lifetime citations

  4. The Spin-Plane Double Probe Electric Field Instrument for MMS

    Lindqvist, P.-A., 2016, SSRv

    712 lifetime citations

  5. Electron-scale measurements of magnetic reconnection in space

    Burch, J. L., 2016, Sci

    657 lifetime citations

  6. The Axial Double Probe and Fields Signal Processing for the MMS Mission

    Ergun, R. E., 2016, SSRv

    647 lifetime citations

  7. The FIELDS Instrument Suite on MMS: Scientific Objectives, Measurements, and Data Products

    Torbert, R. B., 2016, SSRv

    461 lifetime citations

  8. Electron-scale dynamics of the diffusion region during symmetric magnetic reconnection in space

    Torbert, R. B., 2018, Sci

    305 lifetime citations

  9. The Search-Coil Magnetometer for MMS

    Le Contel, O., 2016, SSRv

    268 lifetime citations

  10. Hot Plasma Composition Analyzer for the Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission

    Young, D. T., 2016, SSRv

    203 lifetime citations

  11. Magnetospheric Multiscale Science Mission Profile and Operations

    Fuselier, S. A., 2016, SSRv

    162 lifetime citations

  12. Magnetic reconnection at the dayside magnetopause: Advances with MMS

    Burch, J. L., 2016, GeoRL

    159 lifetime citations

  13. Magnetic Reconnection in the Space Sciences: Past, Present, and Future

    Hesse, M., 2020, JGRA

    150 lifetime citations

  14. Magnetospheric Multiscale observations of magnetic reconnection associated with Kelvin-Helmholtz waves

    Eriksson, S., 2016, GeoRL

    143 lifetime citations

  15. Particle Dynamics in the Earth's Radiation Belts: Review of Current Research and Open Questions

    Ripoll, J.-F., 2020, JGRA

    143 lifetime citations

  16. The Fly's Eye Energetic Particle Spectrometer (FEEPS) Sensors for the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) Mission

    Blake, J. B., 2016, SSRv

    142 lifetime citations

  17. The Energetic Particle Detector (EPD) Investigation and the Energetic Ion Spectrometer (EIS) for the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) Mission

    Mauk, B. H., 2016, SSRv

    128 lifetime citations

  18. Lower hybrid waves in the ion diffusion and magnetospheric inflow regions

    Graham, D. B., 2017, JGRA

    121 lifetime citations

  19. Observations of kinetic-size magnetic holes in the magnetosheath

    Yao, S. T., 2017, JGRA

    121 lifetime citations

  20. Rippled Quasiperpendicular Shock Observed by the Magnetospheric Multiscale Spacecraft

    Johlander, A., 2016, PhRvL

    120 lifetime citations

How we found these papers

We searched NASA’s Science Explorer (SciX) for peer-reviewed articles naming MMS in the title, abstract or keywords; standard filters drop articles that are not peer-reviewed and magazine pieces.

((=abs:"Magnetospheric Multiscale" OR =abs:"Magnetospheric Multi-scale" OR (abs:MMS AND abs:(magnetos* OR magnetopause OR magnetotail OR "magnetic reconnection" OR "plasma sheet" OR "current sheet" OR "bow shock" OR "solar wind" OR whistler OR chorus)))) AND property:refereed AND doctype:article AND pubdate:[2015-10 TO 2040-01] AND NOT bibstem:("A&R" OR "ACPD" OR "AIASJ" OR "AMTD" OR "AeAm" OR "AirSp" OR "AsNow" OR "AsUAI" OR "AvWST" OR "BGD" OR "C&E" OR "C&T" OR "CAPJ" OR "CliPD" OR "E&S" OR "ENews" OR "ESDD" OR "ESSDD" OR "ESuDD" OR "GID" OR "GMDD" OR "GeCAS" OR "HESSD" OR "IrAJ" OR "JCos" OR "JRASC" OR "LAstr" OR "MNSSA" OR "Met" OR "NHESD" OR "NPGD" OR "NewSc" OR "OcScD" OR "Orion" OR "PhT" OR "PhTea" OR "PhuZ" OR "PhyOJ" OR "PhyW" OR "PlR" OR "SOILD" OR "SciAm" OR "SpFl" OR "TCD" OR "ZemVs")

Open in SciX

Added after review (4)

  1. Cold ion demagnetization near the X-line of magnetic reconnection MMS observations of cold-ion demagnetization near a reconnection X-line. Decision 🤖
  2. On the electron agyrotropy during rapid asymmetric magnetic island coalescence in presence of a guide field Study of electron agyrotropy in asymmetric reconnection, listed in the MMS mission bibliography. Decision 🤖
  3. Two-scale ion meandering caused by the polarization electric field during asymmetric reconnection Ion behaviour in asymmetric reconnection, comparing simulations with MMS observations. Decision 🤖
  4. Strong current sheet at a magnetosheath jet: Kinetic structure and electron acceleration MMS observations of a strong current sheet in a magnetosheath jet. Decision 🤖

Removed after review (5)

  1. The "Puck" energetic charged particle detector: Design, heritage, and advancements Design history of an energetic particle detector; names MMS only as a host mission. Decision 🤖
  2. The physics of space weather/solar-terrestrial physics (STP): what we know now and what the current and future challenges are Space weather review; mentions MMS only as a future data source. Decision 🤖
  3. Education and Communication for the Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission Describes the mission's education and outreach program; not a research paper. Decision 🤖
  4. The ELFIN Mission Overview of the ELFIN CubeSat mission; not an MMS paper. Decision 🤖
  5. The TRACERS Fluxgate Magnetometer (MAG) Instrument description of the TRACERS magnetometer; a different mission. Decision 🤖