The Dish

Software company Ansys is helping satellite operators protect critical data from the dangers of solar storms.  

Ansys in October 2020 announced the $700 million acquisition of Analytical Graphics, which specializes in simulation software for the aerospace and telecom sectors.  

Communications systems are increasingly dependent on software as they become more advanced, Haroon Rashid, senior advisory engineer at Canonsburg, Pa.-based Ansys, tells Connectivity Business News in this episode of “The Dish” podcast. 

“The objective of simulation is to help us prepare for these events at all phases of our development of [communications] systems,” Rashid says.

Simulation software can help design satellites with components durable enough to withstand the harsh space environment and prepare them for the aftermath of solar weather events, he says.

Ansys uses data collected by NASA satellites to track solar activity and develop simulation models so that satellite operators can prepare for various scenarios, he says. 

For example, solar flares can extend millions of miles from the sun, trapping charged particles in the ionosphere, which can affect the performance of communication systems, particularly satellites, Rashid says. 

A solar storm in February 2022 caused SpaceX to lose 38 out of a batch of 49 Starlink satellites before they reached orbit. The cost per Starlink satellite is estimated to be between $200,000 and $800,000, according to business intelligence firm Quilty Space. 

 But satellite operators stand to lose more than money, Rashid says.  

Tune into this episode of “The Dish” to hear more from Rashid on how simulation software can save a satellite operator’s mission.