Kosmičeskie issledovaniâ
Cosmic Research publishes scientific papers covering all subjects of space science and technology, including the following: ballistics, flight dynamics of the Earth's artificial satellites and automatic interplanetary stations; problems of transatmospheric descent; design and structure of spacecraft and scientific research instrumentation; life support systems and radiation safety of manned spacecrafts; exploration of the Earth from Space; exploration of near space; exploration of the Sun, planets, secondary planets, and interplanetary medium; exploration of stars, nebulae, interstellar medium, galaxies, and quasars from spacecraft; and various astrophysical problems related to space exploration.
The journal was founded in 1963.
Media registration certificate: ПИ № ФС 77 - 66713 от 28.07.2016
Editor-in-Chief
Anatoly A. Petrukovich, Space Research Institute (Moscow)
ORCID: 0000-0002-2117-9842
Current Issue



Vol 63, No 4 (2025)
- Year: 2025
- Articles: 8
- URL: https://journals.rcsi.science/0023-4206/issue/view/21424
Articles
Global electron content and neutral density of the thermosphere at Starlink launches in 2019–2023
Abstract
In order to avoid emergency situation it is necessary to take into account impact of disturbances in space environment during launch of space vehicles. This paper examines changes in the neutral density of the thermosphere (ρ) according toSwarmsatellites and global electron content (GEC) from JPL GIM-TEC maps during 130Starlinksatellite launches in 2019-2023. The variations ofρ and GEC over the 24-hour period centered at the launch time were identified and analyzed. The spatial distribution and evolution of ρ and GEC in terms of solar activity, season and level of geomagnetic activity before and after eachStarlinklaunch event were investigated. It is shown that with increasing the phaseΦof the solar cycle (SC) fromΦ=0.5 (February 2022) to a maximumΦ=1 (April 2024) of SC25, the value ofGEC andρincreaseby 2.1 and 3.5 times, respectively. During this period, 75 magnetic storms of categories NOAA G1−G4 were observed at Kp≥5.0, of which 19 storms has occurred in the interval±24 hours from the moment ofStarlinklaunch. Only in one case an emergency was observed on February 3, 2022, during the launch ofS-36, when 38 out of 49 satellites left orbit during a minor two-phase geomagnetic storm of level G1 (Kp=5.3). Comparison is made with another successful launchS-77on March 23, 2023 during an intense magnetic storm of category G3 (Kp=7.3). It is shown that at theS-77launch the neutral density ρ prevailed in the northern high latitudes, while in the case ofS-36, the thermosphere was denser near the equator. AfterS-36launch, the transition from the positive to negative perturbation of GEC has happened while a strictly negative GEC anomaly was observed in the case ofS-77. The examples considered show that the intensity of a geomagnetic storm is not the only criterion for an emergency situation. Other characteristics should be taken into account when launching spacecraft, including an increase in electron content in the ionosphere and the density of the neutral atmosphere, accompanied by increased satellites drag at low orbits.



Some features of the formation of absorbed dose behind thin shieldings in the earth’s radiation belts
Abstract
In this paper, the correlation of theEarth’sRadiationBeltselectron doses in low near-Earth orbit behind a small shield with the average indicators of the Earth’s magnetosphere state during periods of geomagnetic disturbances is shown and analyzed.The results of the“Expose-R2”experiment on the ISS and“DEPRON”on the“Lomonosov”satellite (SINP MSU) are considered.In the“Expose-R2”experiment on the ISS, the absorbed dose behind the shield at 0.6 g.cm–2was measured every 10 seconds.In the“DEPRON”experiment, the absorbed dose behind the shield at 0.45 g.cm–2and 0.81 g.cm–2NAwas measured every second. Due to a large number of measurement gaps in the“DEPRON”experiment, a procedure for restoring the experimental data is proposed.Based on the data obtained, correlations between the average daily absorbed dose rate and various cosmophysical indices in fixed ranges ofL-coordinate variations (the McIlwain parameter, at the geomagnetic equator equal to the distance to the Earth’s center in Earth radii) are considered.It is shown that after geomagnetic disturbances, the linear regression coefficients between the absorbed dose rate and the considered geophysical indices have a uniform dependence on theL-coordinate.For magnetic storms withDst< 100 nT, the dependences of the linear regression coefficients on theL-coordinate are well approximated by a normal distribution up toL=4.7.The average value of the maximum positionLav.=4.10±0.15, standard deviations=0.40±0.07. For magnetic storms withDst> 100 nT, the distribution maximum shifts toLav.=3.0 ands=0.22.



Neutron emission from the moon during the historic Carrington solar particle event of September 1, 1859
Abstract
The neutron radiation of the lunar surface under the influence of energetic charged particle flux from the intense Solar Proton Event (SPE) is considered. Numerical estimates of the neutron flux and the corresponding neutron component of the radiation dose are made for the historical Carrington SPE, which can be considered an example of the most intense SPE recorded in the modern period of solar activity observations. It is shown that the neutron component of the dose during the Carrington SPE was approximately 1000 times higher than the background value from the impact of Galactic cosmic rays (GCR) on the lunar surface under quiet Sun conditions. The value of the total radiation dose on the lunar surface during the Carrington SPE was close to the limit values for humans in space.



On the steady-state motions stability of a satellite with charge distribution center of protective screens in the mass center
Abstract
A satellite with a system of three concentric shields for electrostatic protection against cosmic radiation is considered. The interaction of an electric charge with the Earth's magnetic field leads to the emergence of a Lorentz force moment, acting on the rotational motion of the satellite relative to the center of mass. The Lorentz force moment is calculated taking into account the complex shape of the electrostatic protection screens and the geomagnetic field gradient in the volume of the screen. The geomagnetic field is modeled by a direct magnetic dipole.



On the design of the orbital constellation of a lunar global navigation satellite system
Abstract
Based on the results of numerical modeling and investigation of orbital structures in the lunar dynamic space, this article proposes an original orbital grouping of the lunar global navigation satellite system in quasi-frozen highly elliptical and highly inclined orbits. The proposed grouping has structural stability and provides effective navigation coverage. The search for such a configuration of the lunar GNSS was carried out by varying the positional orbital elements in wide ranges: the semimajor axis from 4 to 12 radii of the Moon, the eccentricity from 0 to 0.7, and the inclination from 40°to 65°.



Parametric analysis and estimation of the worst attitude accuracy of a satellite
Abstract
The paper considers the angular motion of a spacecraft under the influence of various disturbing torques. A method for studying the space of disturbing parameters is proposed to estimate the probability of attitude accuracy falling within a certain interval, as well as to identify the worst accuracy and the corresponding disturbing parameters. To analyze the structure of the entire set of disturbing parameters, a method for obtaining a statistical ensemble and further interpretation of the data is used. The worst value of the attitude accuracy is sought using the particle swarm optimization method, which takes into account the restrictions on the disturbing parameters. A numerical example of analyzing the attitude accuracy in the orbital stabilization mode by both methods is given.



A Recursive Partitioning for Anomaly Detection in Tracking Satellite Data
Abstract
This study presents a method for detecting anomalous measurements in the trajectory data of spacecraft, based on recursive partitioning of the time series of observations. This method analyzes the standard deviation of the data, effectively identifying anomalous measurements characterized by elevated noise levels. A significant advantage of this approach is the lack of requirement for prior knowledge of the initial orbital approximation and the absence of a need for pre-training. It has been tested on synthetic datasets with artificially introduced anomalies, as well as on real data from the “Spektr-R” spacecraft. The results demonstrated an accuracy of 96 % compared to other traditional anomaly detection methods. The algorithm of this method is applicable to various types of orbits and scales of observations. Its code is available for public use.



Investigation of the accuracy of navigation spacecraft onboard ephemerides determined from inter-satellite measurements on a moving time span in autonomous navigation conditions
Abstract
In this paper is considered the problem of autonomous navigation of the global navigation satellite system using inter-satellite measurements (ISMs) on a moving time interval. The accuracy of the ephemerides of GPS navigation spacecrafts in the conditions of auto-navigation is investigated depending on the circumstances of ISMs. In particular, it is shown that autonomous navigation for almost two months makes it possible to provide consumers with GPS ephemerides of the submeter accuracy level (SIS URE).


