Surface Charging of the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) Spacecraft in the Solar Wind at 1 AU.

This article presents the first study of the interaction between the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) spacecraft and the solar wind environment at 1 AU. The state‐of‐the‐art software Spacecraft Plasma Interaction Software was used to simulate the surface charging of the spacecraft and the altered particle environment around the spacecraft. The simulations show that for a typical solar wind environment the spacecraft will charge to around 6 V, with the different dielectric parts of the spacecraft charging to potentials from around −36 to 8 V. For the studied extreme solar wind environment, similar to the environment found in the sheath region inside the shock front of an Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejection, the surface potential of the spacecraft is lower due to the increased accumulation of electrons. The spacecraft will charge to around 3 V, with the different dielectric surfaces charging from around −45 to 9 V. We also show how the interaction between the spacecraft and its environment alters the ion and electron particle environment around the spacecraft. This study is the first step toward developing correction techniques for the impact that the interaction between the JUICE spacecraft and its environment has on the JUICE charged particle and field measurements. Plain Language Summary: All spacecraft interact with their space environment. This interaction can create a variety of different problems, with a severity that depends on the environment and the design of the spacecraft. Here, we present a study of the interaction between the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) spacecraft and the solar wind environment at 1 AU. We study both a typical solar wind environment and an extreme environment, for example, the environment encountered during an Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejection. Our simulations show that we can expect the different parts of the spacecraft to charge from around −45 to 9 V. The interaction between JUICE and the solar wind will also alter the particle environment around the spacecraft. We present the altered charged particle environment around the spacecraft, both for the ion and the various electron populations. This study is the first step toward developing correction techniques for the impact that the interaction between the JUICE spacecraft and its environment has on the JUICE measurements. Key Points: The interaction between the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer spacecraft and the solar wind environment at 1 AU, is simulatedWe present the spacecraft surface potentials, typically ranging from −45 to 9 V, for different solar wind conditionsWe also present the near spacecraft particle environment, which is altered due to the interaction between the spacecraft and its environment [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]