UNIVERSITY OF BUCHAREST
FACULTY OF PHYSICS

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Conference: Bucharest University Faculty of Physics 2009 Meeting


Section: Nuclear and Elementary Particles Physics


Title:
Simulation of Space Radiation Doses on Nano-satellites in Earth Orbit


Authors:
Marius Florin Trusculescu, Octavian Sima


Affiliation:
University of Bucharest/Institute for Space Sciences Bucharest

Faculty of Physics, University of Bucharest


E-mail
marius.trusculescu@gmail.com


Keywords:
space radiation, radiation effects, Monte Carlo Simulation, space, satellites, cosmic particles


Abstract:
The nano-satellite class of under 10 kilograms spacecrafts is a recent and rapid development in the space industry. Using off the shelf components, design and manufacturing costs are considerably decreased. As a consequence, reliability needs to be maintained by precisely taking into account the harmful agents of the space environment. Space radiation is one of the leading factors in spacecraft failures on Earth`s orbit. This paper presents the radiation environment that a small class satellite may encounter on a typical Low Earth Orbit. The trapped protons, electrons are taken into account together with the solar emission particles and intergalactic cosmic ray components to provide for an accurate radiation field estimate. In the present paper the space radiation effects are analyzed for Goliat - a typical 100 mm nano-satellite built in Bucharest and currently being scheduled to be launched by ESA. Using the estimated flux data as input, the effects on the specific satellite were estimated by means of Monte Carlo simulations. The nano-satellite geometric and material models were integrated with the Geant 3.2.1 code for simulating the particle`s transport in the spacecraft. The energy deposited in each of the satellite`s subsystem was monitored and an estimate of the overall total dose is calculated. Also, the geometrical model permits analyzing different shielding configurations and their effectiveness. Data generated by the Monte Carlo simulations will be further compared with dose measurements from the on-board sensor after the spacecraft has reached orbit, leading to further improvements on the model with applications for future similar satellites.