Falcon 9 and Dragon spacecraft lightning and tribo-electric charging design and protection approach

Designing to the Eastern Launch Range lightning and tribo-electric charging environments requires specialized methods for coupling and damage susceptibility analysis, lightning simulation testing, and lightning and ESD monitoring and control. This paper describes the predictive analytical coupling and damage susceptibility methods, shielding and margin verification test methods and the control methods implemented at CCAS (Cape Canaveral Air Force Station) launch pad complex 40, for the Falcon 9 LV and Dragon spacecraft.