Designing radiation protection for the scientific equipment complex of the Earth’s remote sensing spacecraft

Abstract

In the course of operation spacecrafts are exposed to ionizing radiation from outer space. The electronic component base (ECB) used in creating onboard radio-electronic equipment of universal space platforms does not always correspond to the external operating conditions in terms of radiation resistance for some spacecraft orbits due to a number of technical and/or economic reasons. One method to increase the radiation resistance of onboard equipment is to install additional mass protection in the form of screens on the whole equipment or local screens on individual critical radio and electronic components. The article describes the design of additional radiation protection of the geostationary spacecraft scientific equipment complex for adaptation to the radiation conditions of operation in orbits of the “Molniya” type. The solution of the problem involves several preliminary steps, namely: determining the radiation conditions for the spacecraft operation in the target orbit, estimating the local absorbed doses at the locations of the onboard equipment, estimating absorbed doses directly in the electronic component base of the equipment and analyzing the radiation resistance. Designing the radiation complex of scientific equipment was based on the values of the radiation resistance of the equipment and its components, as well as the calculated values of the local absorbed doses in the components