SEU Rate Calculation Using In-Flight Proton Detection: Methodologies and Evaluation of Time-Scale Variability

• Published in: IEEE transactions on nuclear science Vol. 72; no. 6; pp. 1919 - 1926
• Main Authors: Wang, Jieyi, Zhang, Longlong, Wang, Chunqin, Li, Youzhi, Shen, Guohong, Yuan, Bin, Xu, Xiaoheng, Yu, Tian, Ma, Yingqi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York IEEE 01.06.2025; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Earth orbits; Flight; In-flight; low Earth orbit (LEO); Low earth orbit satellites; Low earth orbits; Measuring instruments; Monitoring; Orbital mechanics; Performance evaluation; Protons; Radiation; Radiation belts; Radiation measurement; Random access memory; Real time; Real-time systems; SEU monitor; single event upset (SEU); Single event upsets; Space radiation; space radiation environment; Space vehicles
• ISSN: 0018-9499; 1558-1578
• DOI: 10.1109/TNS.2025.3565670

The real-time single event upset (SEU) rate in low Earth orbit (LEO) is subject to fluctuations influenced by the short-term dynamics of protons in radiation belts and differences in flight trajectories. This study presents three streamlined methodologies for calculating SEU rates using real-time in-flight proton detection rather than relying on models or historical data. Moreover, to evaluate the performance of these methods, data from the National Space Science Center (NSSC) space particle radiation effect comprehensive measuring instrument (SPRECMI) were utilized. This dataset demonstrates that proton contributions predominantly drive the SEUs as established in prior research. The analysis reveals that accuracy and responsiveness exhibit reverse trends across different time scales with a 6-h interval identified as the optimal balance for this SEU monitoring. Furthermore, detailed assessments of methodology performance including error, concordance, and applicability limitations on daily and 6-h scales are provided. This approach to calculating SEU rates supports both the study of space weather impacts on SEUs and the engineering challenges of real-time SEU risk warnings.