The Solar Wind Experiment (SWE) on the WIND spacecraft is a comprehensive set of sensors designed to investigate outstanding problems in solar wind physics. It includes two Faraday cup (FC) sensors, a vector electron and ion spectrometer (VEIS), a strahl sensor, and an on-board calibration system. The FC sensors measure energy/charge from 150 V to 8 kV, while the VEIS measures from 7 V to 24.8 kV. The time resolution can be as short as a few seconds for 3-D measurements. Key parameters such as ion velocity, density, and temperature will be provided rapidly through the GGS Central Data Handling Facility. The SWE aims to study the magnetosheath, foreshock, and interplanetary medium, and has the capability to measure in other regions. The FC subsystem is derived from the Voyager plasma instrument and the Faraday cup instruments on IMP 7 and 8. It is particularly suited for measuring supersonic plasma in the interplanetary medium. The VEIS, derived from ISEE-1 instrumentation, will study reflected electrons and ions from the bow shock with increased sensitivity. It will provide highly time-resolved, three-dimensional snapshots of ion and electron distribution functions. The SWE also includes a strahl detector to study the field-aligned distortion of the electron distribution function, known as the 'strahl', which is of theoretical interest. The instrument requires a flexible data processing and control unit (DPU) to handle various modes of operation, data storage, formatting, command decoding, and some data analysis. The paper discusses the scientific aims of the SWE, followed by a brief description of each subsystem. The goal is to provide sufficient detail for preliminary assessment of the data obtained. The scientific objectives include the transfer of energy and momentum from the Sun to Earth and the properties of interplanetary space.The Solar Wind Experiment (SWE) on the WIND spacecraft is a comprehensive set of sensors designed to investigate outstanding problems in solar wind physics. It includes two Faraday cup (FC) sensors, a vector electron and ion spectrometer (VEIS), a strahl sensor, and an on-board calibration system. The FC sensors measure energy/charge from 150 V to 8 kV, while the VEIS measures from 7 V to 24.8 kV. The time resolution can be as short as a few seconds for 3-D measurements. Key parameters such as ion velocity, density, and temperature will be provided rapidly through the GGS Central Data Handling Facility. The SWE aims to study the magnetosheath, foreshock, and interplanetary medium, and has the capability to measure in other regions. The FC subsystem is derived from the Voyager plasma instrument and the Faraday cup instruments on IMP 7 and 8. It is particularly suited for measuring supersonic plasma in the interplanetary medium. The VEIS, derived from ISEE-1 instrumentation, will study reflected electrons and ions from the bow shock with increased sensitivity. It will provide highly time-resolved, three-dimensional snapshots of ion and electron distribution functions. The SWE also includes a strahl detector to study the field-aligned distortion of the electron distribution function, known as the 'strahl', which is of theoretical interest. The instrument requires a flexible data processing and control unit (DPU) to handle various modes of operation, data storage, formatting, command decoding, and some data analysis. The paper discusses the scientific aims of the SWE, followed by a brief description of each subsystem. The goal is to provide sufficient detail for preliminary assessment of the data obtained. The scientific objectives include the transfer of energy and momentum from the Sun to Earth and the properties of interplanetary space.