An Assessment of the Space Radiation Environment in a Near Equatorial Low Earth Orbit Based on Razaksat-1 Satellite

TL;DR

This paper investigates the space radiation environment in near-equatorial low Earth orbit by analyzing data from the RazakSAT-1 satellite and comparing it with other satellites to understand potential causes of communication failure.

Contribution

It provides an assessment of space radiation sources in NEqO/LEO and explores their possible impact on satellite communication loss.

Findings

Analysis of radiation data from RazakSAT-1 and other satellites.

Identification of radiation sources potentially affecting satellite operations.

Insights into space radiation environment in near-equatorial low Earth orbit.

Abstract

The Malaysian satellite RazakSAT-1 was designed to operate in a near-equatorial orbit (NEqO) and low earth orbit (LEO). However, after one year of operation in 2010, communication to the satellite was lost. This study attempted to identify whether space radiation sources could have caused the communication loss by comparing RazakSAT-1 with two functional satellites. Data on galactic cosmic rays (GCR), trapped protons, trapped electrons, and solar energetic particles (SEPs) obtained from Space Environment Information System (SPENVIS) was analyzed.