Assessment of space radiation environment for a future Mars mission and its impact on on-board instrument 3DVI

Radiation is a key environmental challenge for planetary space missions, as its complex, dynamic nature poses significant risks to spacecraft systems, requiring a thorough understanding to ensure a reliable and resilient design. This thesis presents a comprehensive radiation analysis to support the development and qualification of the 3D Velocity of Ions (3DVI) scientific instrument developed by The Swedish Institute of Space Physics (IRF) for the proposed Mars Magnetosphere Atmosphere Ionosphere and Space weather SciencE (M-MATISSE) mission—a candidate for an ESA science mission in the late 2030s. Key objectives include quantifying the Mars mission-specific radiation environment by evaluating proton fluence across different orbital scenarios, determining peak solar proton flux, and analyzing galactic cosmic ray spectra. The Total Ionizing Dose is estimated for various shielding configurations, and dose distribution maps are generated to identify exposure in sensitive regions such as the printed circuit broad. Based on the component list, radiation-sensitive parts are identified, and their tolerance to radiation is assessed. The study further evaluates the likelihood of single event effects in these components and estimates the impact of both solar particle and galactic cosmic ray-induced background radiation on the instrument’s performance.