Energetic charged particles with energies in the MeV range and above are encountered throughout the Earth magnetosphere, in interplanetary space, and in the magnetospheres of other planets [RD.12].
At prephase A, radiation environments are an element in tradeoffs for orbit selection. Effects on both the payload and on the spacecraft carrier are considered.
A radiation environment specification for a mission is established wherein all types of radiation are considered, reflecting general and missionspecific radiation susceptibilities; this specification is then used for component selection, material effects and shielding optimisation.
For radiation analysis, there are general models and models more specific to particular orbits, such as geostationary orbits.