Speaker
Description
Radiation shielding assessment is an important step in the design and qualification of spacecraft and scientific instruments. Efficient analyses require a consistent workflow covering geometry definition, material management, interoperability with radiation transport tools and both fast and accurate shielding evaluations. This contribution presents an integrated modelling approach implemented within the European Space-Suite ecosystem.
The workflow starts with the definition of spacecraft geometries and material properties using the EDGE (ExtendeD GDML Editor) software. EDGE provides interoperability with several standard radiation modelling formats including GDML, STEP AP and MCNP. Shielding analyses can then be performed either through deterministic sector shielding methods using the SSAM module of EDGE or through detailed Monte-Carlo particle transport simulations using MoORa, based on ESA’s GRAS/Geant4. The complementarity between rapid engineering assessments and accurate simulations is discussed.
The methodology is illustrated through two representative applications. The first concerns radiation analyses performed in support of the SPAM instrument developed by IRAP for the ESA M-MATISSE mission, highlighting the role of detailed geometry modelling and dose calculations during early design phases. The second presents radiation shielding analyses of CubeSat in realistic space radiation environments. These examples demonstrate how Space-Suite can support shielding design, risk assessment and mission development activities across a wide range of space applications.