Multiscale Simulation of Electric Propulsion Effects on Active Spacecraft

The simulation of the impact of small-scale components on the electrostatic charging of a spacecraft requires the implementation of new multiscale numerical schemes. For instance, resolving the solar array interconnects is needed to accurately simulate the current collection by a satellite with electric propulsion. We here present an implementation of the nonlinear patch method in the Spacecraft Plasma Interaction Software (SPIS) simulation code. This method allows for local mesh refinements by embedding a local patch in a relatively coarse mesh and iteratively solving on the different meshes. The nonlinear patch method and its SPIS implementation are detailed, and numerical simulations are provided, showing the flexibility and the efficiency of the proposed method. A simulation of a complete geostationary telecom satellite with detailed solar array interconnect is proposed.