Space Radiation Environment Specification
Athina Varotsou
TRAD, Toulouse, France
Abstract
The space radiation environment specification for a specific mission is the first step to the radiation hardness assurance process. This specification includes the charged particle fluxes and fluences, as well as inputs for radiation effects analysis, i.e. the dose-depth curve, the LET spectrum and the displacement damage equivalent fluence. These inputs are then used for ionising dose, single event effects and non-ionizing dose analysis, respectively.
It is essential that all important quantities are well described so that interested industrial players understand which inputs they need to take into account for their radiation analysis. However, putting together such a specification is not an easy task as many important parameters intervene, like the mission definition, the solar cycle hypothesis as well the parameterisation of the engineering models used to describe the radiation environment.
In the radiation hardness assurance procedure, the specified radiation environment is then combined with heavy ion and proton radiation test results to estimate corresponding SEE rates for the selected EEE parts list. In addition, dose analysis is performed at component level using a 3D radiation model of the satellite and equipment and by inputting the specified radiation environment.
In this presentation, the contents of the space radiation environment specification will be described and the impact of important parameters will be highlighted with results obtained using the OMERE software [1] and the FASTRAD® 3D radiation tool [2].
References
[1] OMERE software, http://www.trad.fr/OMERE-Software.html
[2] FASTRAD® software, www.fastrad.net