The Swedish Institute of Space Physics participates in a 10 million Euro research infrastructure to support planetary science

The Swedish Institute of Space Physics (IRF) participates in a new 10 million Euro project, the Europlanet 2024 Research Infrastructure (RI), initiated in February 2020.

With its four-year project until January 2024, Europlanet 2024 RI is going to provide open access to the world’s largest collection of planetary simulation and analysis facilities, as well as a global network of small telescopes, data services, and community support activities.

Europlanet 2024 RI will widen participation in planetary science and provides the infrastructure to address key scientific and technological challenges facing the planetary research community.

IRF takes part in the project by providing unique datasets to support studies of planetary space weather that were obtained from space missions at Mars, Venus, and comet 67P.

IRF is at a unique position in Europe because we can produce new datasets of high-energy particle fluxes in various locations in the inner solar system. These datasets are constructed from IRF-developed sensors onboard Mars Express, Venus Express, and Rosetta deployed by the European Space Agency (ESA). At the completion of Europlanet 2024 RI, the infrastructure will allow easy access to our datasets by the world-wide public and researchers.

High energy particle fluxes are serious concerns for space activities because they can potentially break spacecraft system. In addition, they threaten activities of human beings for future deep space exploration. Studies of the evolution and propagation of high energy particles in the inner solar system are therefore urgently important.

Our data at three different locations in the inner solar system, together with various datasets released by the other participating institutes, will accelerate research on the characteristics and processes of space plasma in the inner solar system.

Contact:
Assoc Prof Yoshifumi Futaana
Swedish Institute of Space Physics
futaana@irf.se

Europlanet 2024 RI project:
Press release of Europlanet 2024 RI project kickoff: https://www.europlanet-society.org/europlanet-launches-10m-euro-research-infrastructure-to-support-planetary-science/

Europlanet 2024 RI project website: www.europlanet-2024-ri.eu

Europlanet Society website: www.europlanet-society.org

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