Spacecraft Charging at Geosynchronous Earth Orbit with Energetic Electrons and Ions

Abstract

Space plasma environments strongly a ect the surfaces of satellites and spacecrafts at Geosynchronous Earth orbit, resulting in the charging / discharging of spacecraft due to the di erence between incoming and outgoing particle currents. Non- Maxwellian power law distributions can be used to solve the current balance equation to model highly energetic particles, where generalized q { distribution gives more pronounced energy tails as compare to standard kappa distribution. The present ndings indicate that the contribution of ion-induced currents apart from the electron-induced currents is more suitable for the onset of negative spacecraft charging. Furthermore, numerical analysis are made for di erent spacecraft surface materials to identify the magnitude of charging and total current on the surface of spacecrafts.