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Announcements Projects SafeSpace

SafeSpace

SafeSpace is a scientific research project, funded by Horizon 2020, the new EU framework Programme for Research and Innovation, and submitted in response to the H2020-SPACE-2018-2020 call SU-SPACE-22-SEC-2019: Space Weather topic. 

The SafeSpace project aims at advancing space weather nowcasting and forecasting capabilities and, consequently, at contributing to the safety of space assets through the transition of powerful tools from research to operations (R2O). To ensure an efficient and optimized transfer from science to application, we have foreseen close collaboration between academia (NKUA, ONERA, KUL, IAP, UPS, IASB-BIRA), a major European space industry (TAS) and a space-oriented SME (SPARC). This team shall improve radiation belt modelling through the incorporation into an existing physical model of processes and parameters that are of major importance to radiation belt dynamics. In order to set up a prototype of a new space weather service dedicated to Earth-orbiting satellites, end users’ requirements related to ionizing particles in space will be defined by TAS – in consultation with other end users. 

SafeSpace is naturally related to ESA’s Space Situational Awareness (SSA) programme. The objective of the SSA programme is to support Europe’s independent utilisation of, and access to, space through the provision of timely and accurate information and data regarding the space environment, and particularly regarding hazards to infrastructure in orbit and on the ground. As part of Period II and shortly period III of ESA’s SSA Programme, the Space Weather (SWE) Segment is focusing on the development of applications and coordination aimed at enabling services for owners/operators of satellites in space and infrastructure on the ground. 

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Announcements Projects SREN

Space Radiation Effects Nowcast (SREN) platform

Space environment includes severe radiation and plasma storms – driven by solar activity and its effect on the Earth’s magnetosphere – affecting satellite systems. For the real-time and the post analysis of the space environment effects on satellite components, a series of actions is required each time by satellite operators and analysts in order to access and couple the required but heterogeneous resources, identify critical particle flux enhancements using reliable measurements and couple them with state of the art radiation environment and effect tools.

SREN de-risking activity aimed to the development of a flexible and user-friendly software system that integrates historical and near real time data from European space born radiation monitors with an arsenal of data-analysis and effects engineering models. The goal is to provide a near real time assessment and historical analysis event platform related to damages caused to spacecraft by space weather events via a simple on-line Graphical User Interface.

SREN’s modules are classified into three groups:

The data pre-analysis module (PAM): for the data pre-processing, cleaning, flagging and flux calculations.

The environment analysis module (EAM): for real time analysis of energetic particle fluxes and the analysis of critical events.

The radiation effects module (REM): for the calculation of radiation effects products.

The current version integrates a series of historical and near-real-time radiation environment measurements, with data processing tools that provide radiation environment products and a radiation effect tool for the calculation of the solar cell degradation. The fully developed SREN will incorporate additional functionalities on the monitoring, detection, and characterization of extreme energetic particle events and will provide quantitative outputs on a large number of critical radiation effects

Categories
Announcements GALILEO Projects

Data Exploitation of new GALILEO Environmental Monitoring Units

SPARC leads the European Space Agency project “Data Exploitation of new GALILEO Environmental Monitoring Units (EMUs)”. The project is implemented in collaboration with Surrey University (UK) and DH Consultancy (Belgium).

The main task of the project is the data analysis of EMUs particle radiation measurements and the development of a model to characterize the radiation environment of EU GALILEO spacecraft.

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Announcements NGRM Projects

NGRM Data Processing for ESA SSA Programme

SPARC (GR) leads the European Space Agency (ESA) project “Next Generation Radiation Monitor (NGRM) Data Processing” and support the Space Situational Awareness (SSA) programme in collaboration with Solenix Company (DE).

The objectives of the project include the development of the NGRM Level 1 payload data ground processor for the European Space Operation Center (ESOC), the implementation of the data processing elements for the NGRM unit on-board GEO EDRS-C mission and the in-flight campaign of EDRS-C/NGRM in collaboration with US and Japanese researchers.

Elements of the activity will be supported by OHB-Hellas (GR) and DH Consultancy (BE), who will provide their expertise to successfully deliver the results of this project.

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Announcements ecIRENE Projects

European Contribution to International Radiation Environment near Earth Modelling System (ecIRENE)

A novel European Space Particle Radiation Environment Modelling (ESPREM) system has been recently developed aiming to integrate & combine statistical models of energetic particle space environments in a modular fashion. ESPREM integrated European radiation models and included the state-of-the art AE9/AP9 radiation belt model, developed in US. In addition, ESPREM was connected with radiation effects tools to determine internal charging, ionising and non-ionising dose and single event effects.

The release and the adoption of such a system by the space industry require the use of state-of-the-art radiation models & effect tools and the further upgrade of the system level software. The proposed activity is expected to lead to the development of a new system with such characteristics, the ecIRENE system, resulting from the further update of the AE9/AP9 RB model (by introducing additional European datasets and modelling schemes already existing in European RB models), the extension/improvement of the European SPE radiation environment models and the introduction of additional radiation effect tools.

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Announcements Projects

Radiation Environment at Extremely Low Altitude And Latitude

SPARC participates in the European Space Agency project “Radiation Environment at Extremely Low Altitude And Latitude “.

The project is lead by RADMON research (UK) and is implemented in collaboration with DH Consultancy (Belgium), Kallisto Consultancy (UK), Université catholique de Louvain, (UCL/CSR) and the Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy.

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Announcements ASPECS Projects

Advanced Solar Particle Events Casting System

SPARC participates in the European Space Agency project “Advanced Solar Particle Events Casting System”. The project is lead by the National Observatory of Athens (Greece) and it is implemented in collaboration with the University of Turku (Finland), University of Barcelona (Spain) and the Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy.

The main goal of the project is the development and implementation of an operational forecasting tool of Solar Energetic Proton Events and Solar Flares.