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    ESA > Our Activities > Space Engineering

    Impact crater (size 4 mm) on solar cell retrieved from space
    Impact crater (size 4 mm) on solar cell retrieved from space

    What innovations does Electromagnetics and Space Environment involve?

    The continuous development of satellite applications demands the availability of more and more complex antennas, capable of performing several functions while keeping size and mass to a minimum.

    All electromagnetic compatibility and space environment phenomena can cause serious problems, and need to be taken account of during mission development. Sophisticated numerical models of the electromagnetic compatibility and space environment are being developed to guide future spacecraft development, with instruments and monitors serving to validate these models and protect spacecraft.

    The domain also includes the fostering of improved ways of monitoring space weather – solar flares and geomagnetic storms triggered by changes in the Sun. Space weather monitoring services are also under development to alert satellite operators of enhanced dangers among a range of other users.

    Finally it stimulates the development and the validation of mathematical models that predict the interaction of electromagnetic waves with natural media (atmosphere, vegetation, sea surface, …), the first waypoint to successful mitigation techniques or to efficient retrieval algorithms. Indeed, the increasing use of the radio wave spectrum for many different purposes requires more and more accurate modeling of wave propagation and interaction to improve the understanding and to achieve more accurate prediction of the desired or undesired effects.

    Last update: 18 November 2009

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      • Electromagnetics and Space Environment
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