LIP SpaceRad group takes part in Europe’s largest geosciences conference
"From lunar radiation to the intercalibration of instruments in interplanetary space, Bruna Lima and António Gomes presented work that contributes to characterising space radiation environments and strengthening confidence in the data collected in space."
The LIP SpaceRad group was well represented at the General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union (EGU) 2026, held from 3 to 8 May in Vienna, Austria. EGU is Europe’s largest conference dedicated to Earth, planetary and space sciences, bringing together around 20,000 researchers from across the world each year.
The group’s PhD students presented the latest results from their work to this international community.
A radiation model for the Moon
Bruna Lima gave an oral presentation on LUNAIRE — LUNAr Ionising Radiation Environment, a model of the lunar radiation environment that she is developing as part of her PhD. The model has successfully completed its first validation, using data from the CRaTER telescope aboard NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.
This work is particularly relevant in the context of planned crewed missions to the Moon, as the accurate characterisation of the lunar radiation environment is essential to ensure astronaut safety.
Validation and intercalibration of instruments in interplanetary space
António Gomes presented two posters with results of relevance to the community:
“Three-Years of RADEM aboard the JUICE mission: Observations, Updates and Future Perspectives” reported measurements from the past three years and explored possible future observations.(Related article: Three years on the way to Jupiter: LIP’s contribution to the JUICE mission)
“Intercalibration between energetic particle instruments BERM onboard BepiColombo and EPD aboard Solar Orbiter” compared measurements from the BepiColombo Environmental Radiation Monitor (BERM) with those from the Energetic Particle Detector (EPD) aboard Solar Orbiter, using solar energetic particle events detected simultaneously by the two missions.
The results confirm an excellent agreement between the instruments, with deviations of only 5% and 2%, supporting the reliability of the scientific data collected in the inner heliosphere. This type of intercalibration is essential, as instruments in space cannot be recalibrated after launch.
These results reinforce the contribution of the LIP SpaceRad group to research on space radiation environments, with direct impact on Solar System exploration missions.