Spacecraft plasma interaction processes lead to field and particle induced environments that may interfere with electronics or electric circuits (via charging induced electrostatic discharges), communication link (via plasma sheath structures), science plasma and astrophysics sensors (via induced particle acceleration or secondary particles). Plasma processes are also critical for the environment of electric thruster and are believed to be at the origin of several recent solar panel failures.

The scientific and technical spacecraft plasma-interaction community in Europe has created a Network, SPINE (Spacecraft Plasma Interaction Network in Europe) and has identified a need for an advanced database of freely available and open source modelling tools and input data which will be maintained by the community and available for both engineering and scientific applications.

Access to the software:

To obtain the software, please register and download via the SPINE/SPIS community site.