Welcome to the Spacecraft Design - In-orbit verification service

A set of models and in-orbit sensor datasets are provided with the help of tools and products such as:

• the Space Environment Information System (SPENVIS) coupling several empirical and engineering models of the space environment and its effects on spacecraft or components based on a mission plan;
• the Space Environment Data System (SEDAT) allows engineering analyses to be carried out on datasets related to the spacecraft charged particle environments (Currently under maintenance);
• the Solar Energetic Particle Environment Modelling application (SEPEM) allowing solar energetic particle statistical analyses on an extended set of cross-calibrated data;
• the European Debris Impact Database (EDID) provides data processing and dissemination functions for measurements from European debris and meteoroid impact detectors;
• the Space Research Laboratory Solar Energetic Particles (UTU-SEP) products provide access to two high energy SEP event lists as well as the calculation of the expected high energy fluence and worst-case flux for protons and heavier ions for a specific mission length due to SEPs;
• the Next Generation Radiation Monitor (NGRM) on EDRS-C provides measurements of energetic electrons and proton fluxes at GEO orbit;
• measurements and derived data products from the Energetic Particle Telescope (EPT) on PROBA-V;
• measurements from the Standard Radiation Environment Monitors (SREM) on Proba-1, Integral, Rosetta, Herschel and Planck;
• the electron population model from Mullard Space Science Laboratory (MSSL) for LEO, MEO and GEO as function of solar wind speed and Kp index;
• the SWIFF Plasmasphere Model (SPM) dynamical simulation provides the number density and temperatures of the electrons as a function of time;
• the Satellite Risk Indicators Forecast SaRIF provides colour-coded risk indicators showing the risk from internal charging and total ionising dose for the outer radiation belt and slot region, as well as a recontruction of these environments;
• the Space Weather Data Browsing and Analysis (SWE Data) provides access to space weather environment data.

This service page is curated by the ESC Space Radiation.  For further information, please contact SSCC Helpdesk. 

Spacecraft need to be able to withstand the effects that the multitude range of phenomena (e.g. solar flares, coronal mass ejections, solar energetic particle events) in the dynamic space environment may have on technology. The goal of spacecraft radiation shielding is to protect the crew and hardware (exterior and interior) from the radiation environment encountered in space. When designing and building a spacecraft both short- and long-term cumulative effects must be considered. The development and improvement of models providing environment specifications and effects predictions is an important aspect in advancing the design of future efficient shielding. A number of tools and products can be used to generated the environment specifications which can then be compared with the available measurement data.

The minimum environmental standards as defined in the Space Environment Standard ECSS-E-ST-10-04 (see Auxiliary Information) are implemented in the Space Environment Information System (SPENVIS) tool. The space environment for a specific orbit can be obtained based on these and other models in order to compare them with observations. Both the model outputs and measurements can be used to evaluate the various effects on the specific hardware defined by the user.

Other models that can be accessed through the portal are: the UTU-SEP products comprising a high energy SEP event list, and high energy proton and heavy ion fluence and peak flux models for a specific mission length due to SEPs; the MSSL electron population model at Low Earth Orbit (LEO), Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) and Geosynchronous Equatorial Orbit (GEO) as function of solar wind speed and Kp index; and the SPM dynamical simulation providing the number density and temperatures of electrons in the plasmasphere as a function of time and Kp index.

Specific particle radiation data provided through the network are based on the measurements from the Next Generation Radiation Monitor (NGRM) on EDRS-C, the Energetic Particle Telescope (EPT) on PROBA-V, and the Standard Radiation Environment Monitors (SREM) on Proba-1, Integral, Rosetta, Herschel and Planck. Time series of electron and protons fluxes at GEO as measured by NGRM are provided, as well as daily electron fluences and comparison of energetic electron fluxes with other instruments at GEO. Time series of the energetic electron, proton and helium fluxes at LEO as measured by EPT along its orbit and in key regions are available, as well as weekly geographical flux maps for each particle species and energy channel. Weekly energy spectra are provided for auroral electrons as well as proton and helium in the South Atlantic Anomaly. A static radiation model for all 3 species is derived from the long term dataset and estimations of daily total ionising and non-ionising dose are provided. Daily radiation situation reports based on the SREM data in several key regions along the orbit of the various spacecraft are provided. Daily measurements of particle radiation levels and spectra are compared with reference models for the proton and electron belts, the slot region, and interplanetary space. The Solar Energetic Particle Environment Modelling (SEPEM) application server provides a reference event list for solar energetic protons, a reference data set for protons and helium, and tools to perform solar energetic particle statistical analyses on an extended set of cross-calibrated data. Besides forecasts for spacecraft effects and the radiation environment for the outer radiation belt and slot region, the SaRIF product also provides a post event reconstruction for the energetic electron spectra in those regions based on the BAS-RBM model.

Furthermore, the SEDAT (Space Environment DATa system) tool allows a wide range of engineering analyses to be carried out using a comprehensive set of in-situ space environment datasets. The flexibility of the tool authorises the tailoring of the data processing to the problem under study and the incorporation of new datasets.

When interested in the impact of microparticles, the European Debris Impact Database (EDID) could be accessed which has a large database of events measured from debris and meteoroid impact detectors together with includes spacecraft housekeeping data.

The user who is interested in an overview of the typical programmatic concerns related to the space environment is invited to visit the service page for "Spacecraft Design - Environment specification: data archive".

Auxiliary Information

This section provides links to web pages or resources that are not part of the ESA Space Weather Service Network or esa.int domain.  These sites are not under ESA control, and therefore ESA is not responsible for any of the information or links that you may find there. 

Reference documents:

• ECSS-E-ST-10-04C Space environment (15 June 2020)
• ECSS-E-ST-20-06C Spacecraft charging (15 May 2019)
• ECSS-E-ST-10-12C Method for the calculation of radiation received and its effects, and a policy for design margins (issued on 15 November 2008)
• ECSS-E-HB-10-12A Calculation of radiation and its effects and margin policy handbook (issued on 17 December 2010)

For further information, please contact SSCC Helpdesk.