Defining space environment modelling requirements

Abstract:

The military has many different systems operating in and through the near-earth space environment, and the needs for space environment models span all stages of system design, operationalization, and operation. At each of these stages, space environment models are used to ensure success of these systems. Many systems must be designed to operate through the extremes of the space environment, requiring models of those extremes. Some radio systems need knowledge of the space plasma through which they are propagating, requiring plasma models that capture the features relevant to those systems. Space systems must be designed to operate through the radiation and particle environments required to meet their missions, requiring models of such environments. Some space systems require quick attribution of space environment impacts so mitigations to those effects can be implemented. Other systems need real-time knowledge of the space environment to be able to apply system or measurement corrections. Some system operators need forecasts of system space environment impacts for planning or implementation purposes. All of these applications require some level of modelling of the near-earth space environment, and the types of models used can span from simple to complex, from empirical to physics-based, from data-driven to hypothetical. Sometimes one model can be applied differently to meet the needs of multiple applications, and sometimes an application may require a unique model that is specifically designed for the need. Often, the limits of existing models are reached, and new space environment modelling capabilities are required to meet the need.

This presentation will discuss broadly how some of these modelling challenges are addressed from a research lab perspective. The discussion will cover how there is no one-model-fits-all solution and how different use cases require different modelling approaches. The discussion will cover how the specific needs for a use case can be distilled into modelling requirements, and then how modelling solutions to meet those requirements can be pursued. Some past examples of requirements that the space environment modelling community has been called upon to address will be presented to illustrate the complexity of developing and applying space environment models to varied applications.