Banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO: RENATO GOMES DA SILVA

Uma banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO de MESTRADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : RENATO GOMES DA SILVA
DATE: 17/12/2025
TIME: 14:00
LOCAL: Sala 04 ECT
TITLE:

CHARACTERIZATION OF THE GEOSPACE ENVIRONMENT AND EVALUATION OF POSSIBLE FAILURE MODES OF THE IS-33E SATELLITE IN GEO ORBIT

KEY WORDS:

Space weather, geomagnetic storms, relativistic electrons, internal charging,

geostationary satellites, Van Allen radiation belt, Parker Spiral.

PAGES: 37
BIG AREA: Engenharias
AREA: Engenharia Aeroespacial
SUBÁREA: Sistemas Aeroespaciais
SPECIALTY: Satélites e Outros Dispositivos Aeroespaciais
SUMMARY:

This study investigates the possible relationship between the space environment and the

catastrophic failure of the geostationary satellite IntelSat-33e (IS-33e), which occurred on 19

October 2024 and resulted in the generation of approximately 500 debris fragments in GEO.

Given that the event coincided with a period of intensified solar activity during Solar Cycle 25,

the research aims to characterize the geospace conditions before, during, and after the anomaly,

with emphasis on assessing internal charging processes as a plausible failure mechanism. To

this end, geomagnetic indices (Dst, SYM-H, and Kp), interplanetary parameters from the OMNI

dataset (IMF Bz, solar wind speed, and dynamic pressure), and relativistic electron fluxes (>2

MeV) measured by the GOES-16 satellite are analyzed. The methodology also incorporates the

Parker spiral model to estimate the heliographic longitudes of the CMEs associated with the

geomagnetic storms, combined with temporal and comparative analyses linking solar

disturbances, magnetospheric response, and variations in the outer Van Allen belt. Preliminary

results identified two intense geomagnetic storms, on 6 and 10–11 October 2024, followed by

a sustained enhancement in relativistic electron flux lasting more than five days, reaching levels

significantly above the typical GEO climatology. The continuation of this research includes the

application of FMEA/FMECA (ECSS-Q-ST-30-02C) and Fault Tree Analysis (IEC 61025 /

ECSS-Q-ST-40-12C) to systematically investigate potential failure modes linked to the

disturbed space environment. The expected outcomes aim to provide a preliminary technical

diagnosis of the IS-33e failure and highlight the importance of mitigation strategies, radiation-

hardening practices, and continuous space weather monitoring to enhance the reliability and

safety of future geostationary missions.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Presidente - 1808127 - JOSE HENRIQUE FERNANDEZ
Interno - 1805797 - FRANCISCO JOSÉ TARGINO VIDAL
Externo à Instituição - FILIPE EMANUEL VIEIRA TAVEIROS - CLBI
Externo à Instituição - GIULIANI PAULINELI GARBI