Space Weather Services for Space Mission Operations

Abstract

Space is by nature a harsh environment: it is required first to know well all possible risks and then take appropriate measures to mitigate them. Radiation from the sun and cosmic rays is a silent but very damaging hazard, particularly for sensitive sensors, on-board electronics as well as solar arrays.A A preventive very costly measure is to build radiation-hardened components. A complimentary measure is to operate following the forecast of expected radiation levels and adapt the spacecraft configuration accordingly, to minimize risks. The latter is not a new concept, however expected on board radiation level estimation are so far

Mission Operations to Improve Space Mission Protection

“…1 . A precursor system within this segment called Space Environment Information System to support Operations (SEISOP) collects information from various sources and provides services through a web based client tool to support mission operations 3,4 . The majority of the space weather data that this system uses is provided by the NOAA On the other hand, SWPC of NOAA provides real-time monitoring and forecasting of solar and geophysical events which may impact satellites, communications, navigation, and many other technological systems and it is complemented by other space weather data sources worldwide through the interface called Space Weather European Network (SWENET).…”