Speaker
Description
By now the Energetic Particle Telescope (EPT) on-board Proba-V (launched on 7th May 2013 onto a polar Low Earth Orbit of 820 km altitude) has provided quasi continuously more than 7 years of flux spectra data for electrons (0.5–8 MeV), protons (9.5–248 MeV) and α-particles (38–980 MeV) with a time resolution of 2 seconds. The data are transmitted to ground 3 times per day, where within several hours they are processed towards the following data products:
• daily flux spectra time series along the orbit (L1);
• weekly flux geographical maps;
• weekly averaged auroral electron energy spectra;
• weekly averaged SAA proton and helium energy spectra;
• yearly static radiation model of the three energetic particles, including flux time series on a regular B-L grid (L2);
• integral (“GOES-style”) electron, proton and helium fluxes will be available soon.
While the five first products mentioned here above are available at the ESA-SSA-SWE portal (ESA-SSA Space Weather, Expert Service Center Space Radiation) since October 2016 or later, the latter product will complete them by the end of 2020.
The mission operates far beyond of its nominal lifetime (2.5 years) offering a rather long contiguous dataset from one science-class instrument with rather stable parameters apart from a gain-loss accident of the front sensor in 2014, the instrument did not experience any significant technical parameter variation that would impact its flux measuring capabilities.
This presentation will give a summary on the EPT data products that are available at the ESA-SSA-SWE service centre, experience of this long-lasting mission, lessons learned, and suggestions for a future improved model of the instrument, and its routine operation.
