Welcome to the Spacecraft Design - Post event analysis 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. Identifying the cause of an unexplained technical anomaly event is important, as this information can help improve the designing of future efficient shielding.

A good starting point for a post-event analysis is a tool such as SEDAT (Space Environment DATa system). SEDAT 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.

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 Geosynchronous Equatorial Orbit (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 Low Earth Orbit (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.

In order to study the specific impact on a spacecraft in more depth, a tool such as the Space Environment Information System (SPENVIS) could be considered. This tool allows the execution of a set of space environment models based on a mission scenario (mission duration, typical spacecraft trajectories and spacecraft attitude) and to evaluate impacts and risks by propagating the results into engineering models. The tool includes graphical visualisation and an extended help with background information and references to the European standards. For a more comprehensive analysis of the space environment effects, the SPENVIS output could be exported to more specific applications, such as GRAS (Geant4 Radiation Analysis for Space) or SPIS (Spacecraft Plasma Interaction Software), that are taking into account the detailed geometry of the spacecraft.

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.