Spacecraft Plasma Interactions Network in Europe (SPINE)
The objective of this network is to share resources and to co-ordinate efforts in all domains related to the interaction of Spacecraft with the space plasma. The creation of this network and its primary objectives have been decided during a Round Table held on 24-2-2000 at ESTEC. SPINE stands for Spacecraft Plasma Interactions Network in […]
The community
The SPINE community is an open, peaceful and non-profits scientific and industrial community, dedicated to the study and the modelling of the interactions between space plasma and space systems, including spacecraft, payloads, scientific instruments, natural space objects. Spacecraft-plasma interactions include: spacecraft charging, in surface (i.e. surface charging) the computation of the electrostatic sheath structures and […]
Publications and scientific communications
Developed tools and SPINE related activities have led to numerous scientific publications and communications.
- The Quest for Conductivity – Surface Charging Control for the Juice Mission
C. Imhof, M. K. G. Holmberg, G. Deprez, F. Cipriani, S. Verstaen and J. Lange, “The Quest for Conductivity – Surface Charging Control for the Juice Mission,” 2022 ESA Workshop on Aerospace EMC (Aerospace EMC), Virtual, 2022, pp. 1-6,
doi: 10.23919/AerospaceEMC54301.2022.9828847.
- Ion bulk speeds and temperatures in the diamagnetic cavity of comet 67P from RPC-ICA measurements
Bergman, S.; Stenberg Wieser, G.; Wieser, M.; Johansson, F. L.; Vigren, E.; Nilsson, H.; Nemeth, Z.;
Eriksson, A.; Williamson, H.; Ion bulk speeds and temperatures in the diamagnetic cavity of comet 67P from RPC-ICA measurements, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 2021;, stab584, doi:10.1093/mnras/stab584 - Simulation of the electrostatic charging of the MetOp‑SG satellites in the polar auroral zone
C. Imhof: Simulation of the electrostatic charging of the MetOp‑SG satellites
in the polar auroral zone, CEAS Space Journal, 12, pp 137 – 147, 2020, - A charging model for the Rosetta spacecraft
Johansson, F. L.; Eriksson, A. I.; Gilet, N.; Henri, P.; Wattieaux, G.; Taylor, M. G. G. T.; Imhof,
C.; Cipriani, F. A charging model for the Rosetta spacecraft A&A, vol. 642, 2020. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202038592
News and events
The SPINE community organises regularly meetings and events. SPINE meetings are open to all participants and, in most of the cases, without registration fee.
- New release candidate version 6.2.5 for SPISA new SPIS release candidate version for surface charging and electrical propulsion is available. You can find below the improvements since the last release candidate version 6.2.4. Changelog Changed Fixed Download You can download the release candidate through the usual… Read more: New release candidate version 6.2.5 for SPIS
- 32nd SPINE meeting in Madrid 8th – 10th October 2025Dear Colleagues and Friends of the Spacecraft Plasma Interaction Network in Europe ! We are happy to announce that the 32nd SPINE workshop will take place from October 8th until October 10th 2025 at University Carlos Madrid III venue in… Read more: 32nd SPINE meeting in Madrid 8th – 10th October 2025
- 30th SPINE announcementThe 30th SPINE workshop will take place from December 6th 14:00 until December 8th 14:00 2023 in ESA/ESTEC, The Netherlands. Contributions are welcome in all topics of interest for the European spacecraft/plasma community at large. For the 30th edition contributions covering the following domains are encouraged :… Read more: 30th SPINE announcement
SPIS
SPIS, for Spacecraft Plasma Interaction Software, is a rich and advanced 3D modelling tool for the spacecraft-plasma interactions, able to model a large set of phenomenon relative to spacecraft charging. SPIS includes an advanced 3D electrostatic plasma solver based on a unstructured mesh and able to dynamically model detailed sheath structures around complex and realistic […]
Other tools and data
- PicUp3D is a simple, academic and experimental 3D structured plasma codes, for PIC model educational applications.
- Freja Charging Database
- Documentations and SCTC proceedings gathers a large set of scientific publications and documents related to the plasma-space systems interaction.