Janet Green, Space Hazards Applications, LLC; Rick Quin, AER; Paul O’Brien, The Aerospace Corporation; Justin Likar, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory; Yuri Shprits, GFZ Potsdam; Stuart Huston, Space Hazards Applications, LLC; Alex Boyd, The Aerospace Corporation; Seth Claudpierre, UCLA; S. Huston, Space Hazards Applications, LLC; P. Whelan, Space Hazards Applications, LLC; N. Reker, AER
Keywords: space weather, space radiation, satellite anomalies
Abstract:
The number of satellites in near Earth space is growing rapidly to accommodate the needs of our technological society. These satellites are expected to operate continuously while being bombarded by intense particle radiation that can damage electronic components, causing temporary malfunctions, degraded performance, or a complete system/mission loss. Every effort is made to design satellites that can tolerate the harsh environment but on orbit issues still occur. When they do, it is necessary to identify the cause so that appropriate actions can be taken to safeguard the asset and return to normal operations. However, diagnosing space weather related anomalies is challenging because it requires a wide range of environmental information, engineering knowledge, and specialized expertise. Our goal is to enable effective anomaly analysis and attribution by providing tools that bring together all the necessary components and simplify the analysis process for end users.
Here we discuss our effort to build a comprehensive satellite anomaly attribution tool. We present a number of ongoing projects including the development of a high-energy electron radiation belt model (SHELLS), the Satellite Charging Assessment tool (SatCAT), and a solar proton access model (SPAM). The SHELLS electron radiation belt model uses a neural network to map real time energetic electron fluxes from low to high altitude filling in the global magnetosphere. Once the mapping is established, energetic electron fluxes can be specified in the past and into the future using only near real time POES data. The SatCAT tool is an online system that allows users to create a timeline of the current and historical internal charging levels of a satellite on orbit for comparison with anomaly times. The tool, which currently relies on input from the VERB radiation model, is configurable and allows users to generate and view internal charging levels for their satellites and design parameters such as shielding thickness and materials. Lastly, the Solar Proton Access Model (SPAM) uses low altitude POES measurements to map solar proton fluxes throughout the magnetosphere.
Date of Conference: September 15-18, 2020
Track: SSA/SDA