Infer Electron Space Environment Along EOR Mission Profile From LEO Measurements: Application to EUTELSAT 7C

The Earth’s electron radiation environment is extremely dynamic. It reacts strongly to magnetic storms, increasing in some hours by several orders of magnitude in a large energy range and decreasing slowly in the recovery phase of the storm. For the purpose of spacecraft Electrical Orbit Raising (EOR), to bring the ion thruster propulsion-based satellites from the launcher injection orbit to the geostationary orbit, it is important to estimate the electron fluxes they can encounter during this long transfer phase. Using correlation between high-energy electron measurements at LEO and near equator, a methodology is presented and validated to infer the daily average flux encountered by the EUTELSAT 7C spacecraft during its EOR phase.