A complex computer model that simulates the electron environment in space around Earth could better prepare satellite operators to avoid spacecraft-damaging radiation and help designers create more durable satellite designs.
Developed by the Finnish Meteorological Institute, the new Inner Magnetosphere Particle Transport and Acceleration Model (IMPTAM) is the first tool of its kind in Europe able to provide information about the charged particles continuously bombarding satellites in orbit. Currently, there are approximately 1,000 operational satellites orbiting in near-Earth space.
“Specifying the electron flux at any satellite orbit, we will be able to provide satellite operators the critical information for surface charging of satellite materials,” Natalia Ganushkina, Ph.D., the primary developer of the IMPTAM model, said.
While surface charging to a high voltage does not cause problems immediately for a spacecraft, electrostatic discharge resulting from differential charging can damage materials on the surface of the satellite and interfere with internal electronics. Radiation levels vary with location and the behavior of the sun, leaving researchers unable to accurately measure the radiation environment into which a satellite may be orbiting. The new computer model will enable researchers to better predict the location and behaviors of magnetic and electric fields, which influence the behavior of electrons, in order to protect satellites.
