Overview
The harsh space environment can wreak havoc on unprotected electronics. These effects are caused by the environment in which the satellites orbit. Over time, exposure to energetic particles can degrade device performance, ultimately leading to component failure. Heavy ions, neutrons, and protons can scatter the atoms in a semiconductor lattice, introducing noise and error sources. Another source of damage can be caused by micrometeorites which cause physical damage to the space hardware. When launching such a large and ambitious project such as the space solar power project which has a very high cost these effect play a key role in determining the cost of the project and must be factored into the design of the system if it is to have a certain mission lifetime.
- Micrometeorite Environment
- Rad Environment
- Effects On Hardware
- Impact On Mission and Reliability
- Resources
