Investigation of the effect of different altitude environmental conditions on the transmission of avionics system data to ground control stations

In this study, the effects of environmental conditions at different altitudes and electromagnetic fields generated by ion thrusters on the avionic system and data transfer to the ground control station were investigated. Ion thrusters, which are used as main thrusters or side force generators in space vehicles, generate a certain electromagnetic field due to their high voltage operation and characteristic features. Other variables that pose a risk of affecting aircraft or spacecraft\\\'s data transmission are temperature and pressure. The mentioned values vary under different atmospheric conditions and within the scope of this study; pressure values between 101 kPa and 50 kPa and temperature values between 25°C and -15°C were determined as variable parameters. In order to simulate space environment for the desired temperature and pressure values, a vacuum box was used. Furthermore, the influence of the ion thruster, operated under varying voltages and excitation frequencies, was analyzed by positioning it at different distances within the vacuum chamber containing the avionics system. The avionic system send data to the ground control station for all experimental cases.