Space Environment Information System: Applicability for Mission Design and Operations

Abstract

ESA's Space Environment Information System (SPENVIS) is a system of models of the space environment and its effects on materials (e.g. spacecraft). It covers the natural radiation belts, solar energetic particles, cosmic rays, plasmas, and micro-particles. SPENVIS currently integrates 35 distinct models, with new ones being added regularly. The underlying models arise from many years of research, supported by national and international space agencies, resulting in a variety of tools to investigate the Sun-Earth connection and near-earth environment. SPENVIS was originally developed as a browserbased research tool that collects these tools together, being capable of recreating the full range of conditions in most of the solar system. In recent years SPENVIS has been further developed into an Operational System. In addition to enhancing the modeling capabilities, this required an enhancement to the customer perspective, i.e. ease-of-use, consistency, stability, runtime, support, etc. SPENVIS is now available as a web-based or standalone application. As a Spacecraft Operational Support System, SPENVIS is further tailored to preferentially reproduce the current radiation environment for a range of common LEO, MEO and GEO orbits, and predict likely future variability and effects via a purpose designed user interface. It will also accept autonomous input data regarding the real-time space environment via a variety of ISES-standard alerts and reports. This paper presents the latest developments, with particular significance for the satellite operations community.