TRAPPED‐S, a New Environment Model Framework for Saturn: Focus on Radiation‐Specification Model

Abstract As space agencies contemplate missions to the outer planets' systems and moons, entailing prolonged observations via local orbiters or potential landers, meticulous assessment of the local environment—encompassing radiation and plasma conditions—is paramount for the design of both the platform and scientific payload. The radiation impact is multifaceted, potentially involving total cumulative doses, single event effects stemming from short term enhancements, and internal charging risks, while plasma environments pose surface charging hazards. Within the framework of the ESA's TRAPPED project (Testbed for Radiation and Plasma Planetary Environments), a collaborative effort by ONERA, IRAP, the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, and the Academy of Athens, has yielded a versatile, user‐friendly environment model framework and associated software, tailored to gas giant planet moon systems and grounded in the rich data sets from previous missions. The primary objectives of this project included reviewing extant literature and data sets, designing an all‐encompassing model framework, and developing radiation and plasma models for the Saturnian system. This paper focuses specifically on the radiation specification model for Saturn. This model is the first ever radiation environment model of Saturn based on Cassini data, which can replace the rather dated SATRAD model. The TRAPPED radiation model can deliver differential and integral fluxes for different percentiles. It captures key spatial variations from Magnetic Local Time, latitude and L‐shell and incorporates an advanced global magnetosphere model. Finally, it is developed in a way that can accept extension (e.g., moon environments).