The Earth’s magnetosphere is region that is carved out by the solar wind as it flows past and interacts with the terrestrial magnetic field. The inner magnetosphere is the region that contains the plasmasphere, ring current, and the radiation belts all co-located within about 6.6 Re, nominally taken to be bounding this region. This region is highly dynamic and is home to a variety of plasma waves and particle populations ranging in energy from a few eV to relativistic and ultra-relativistic electrons and ions. The interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) embedded in the solar wind via the process of magnetic reconnection at the sub-solar point sets up plasma convection and creates the magnetotail. Magnetic reconnection also occurs in the tail and is responsible for explosive phenomena known as substorms. Substorms inject low-energy particles into the inner magnetosphere and help generate and sustain plasma waves. Transients in the solar wind such as coronal mass ejections (CMEs), co-rotating interaction regions (CIRs), and interplanetary shocks compress the magnetosphere resulting in geomagnetic storms, energization, and loss of energetic electrons in the outer radiation belt nad enhance the ring current, thereby driving the geomagnetic dynamics. The Specification and Prediction of the Coupled Inner-Magnetospheric Environment (SPeCIMEN) is one of the four elements of VarSITI (Variability of the Sun and Its Terrestrial Impact) program which seeks to quantitatively predict and specify the inner magnetospheric environment based on Sun/solar wind driving inputs. During the past 4 years, the SPeCIMEN project has brought together scientists and researchers from across the world and facilitated their efforts to achieve the project goal. This review provides an overview of some of the significant scientific advances in understanding the dynamical processes and their interconnectedness during the VarSITI era. Major space missions, with instrument suites providing in situ measurements, ground-based programs, progress in theory, and modeling are briefly discussed. Open outstanding questions and future directions of inner magnetospheric research are explored.

地球的磁层是由太阳风流过并与地球磁场相互作用而形成的区域。内磁层是包含等离子体层、环流和辐射带的区域，它们都位于大约 6.6 Re 内，名义上被认为是该区域的边界。该区域是高度动态的，是各种等离子波和粒子群的家园，其能量范围从几 eV 到相对论和超相对论电子和离子。通过亚太阳点的磁重联过程嵌入太阳风中的行星际磁场 (IMF) 会建立等离子体对流并产生磁尾。磁重联也发生在尾部，并导致被称为亚暴的爆炸现象。亚暴将低能粒子注入内部磁层，并有助于产生和维持等离子波。太阳风中的瞬变，如日冕物质抛射 (CME)、同向旋转相互作用区 (CIR) 和行星际冲击，会压缩磁层，导致地磁风暴、激励和外辐射带中高能电子的损失，并增强环电流，从而驱动地磁动力学。耦合内磁层环境的规范和预测 (SPECIMEN) 是 VarSITI（太阳的可变性及其地球影响）计划的四个要素之一，旨在根据太阳/太阳风定量预测和指定内磁层环境驱动输入。在过去的 4 年里，SPeCIMEN 项目汇集了来自世界各地的科学家和研究人员，并促进了他们实现项目目标的努力。本综述概述了 VarSITI 时代在理解动力过程及其相互联系方面取得的一些重大科学进展。简要讨论了主要的太空任务，包括提供原位测量的仪器套件、地面计划、理论进展和建模。探索了内磁层研究的未决问题和未来方向。与提供原位测量的仪器套件、基于地面的程序、理论进展和建模进行了简要讨论。探索了内磁层研究的未决问题和未来方向。与提供原位测量的仪器套件、基于地面的程序、理论进展和建模进行了简要讨论。探索了内磁层研究的未决问题和未来方向。