SatCAT: The Satellite Charging Assessment Tool

The purpose of this project is to develop a Satellite Charging Assessment Tool (SatCAT) that will provide satellite operators/manufacturers with information to quickly and confidently determine whether anomalous satellite behavior observed on orbit results from changes in the space radiation environment. The intense radiation surrounding Earth can damage electronic components causing temporary malfunctions, degraded performance, or a complete system/mission loss. Understanding whether space weather is the cause of such problems expedites investigations and guides successful design improvements resulting in a more robust satellite architecture. Discussions with satellite industry stakeholders held during phase 1, revealed that some space weather related anomalies may go unrecognized and unaddressed, in part, due to a lack of tools for rapid root cause attribution. Real time algorithms addressing this need that calculate how a satellite charges due to the radiation along any orbit for user specified architectures were developed during phase 1. The next phase of the project will expand on that development and advance the usability, reliability, and quality of the system by adding needed enhancements, validation, and testing. The SatCAT application is an innovative solution to satellite industry needs that goes beyond other available information by translating the radiation environment to actual engineering effects