| STS-61 (Space Shuttle Endeavour) | Manned Spacecraft | | | 6-Dec-1993 | Active | Temporary failure | The Y-star tracker failed to acquire navigation stars for approximately 5 hours. Following a power cycle, the star tracker successfully passed a self test and functioned nominally for the rest of the mission. The cause of the failure is believed to be a single event upset. The time noted for the beginning of the anomalous behavior of the tracker coincides with the Orbiter passing through the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA), an area of high radiation. The high altitude flown on STS-61 resulted in increased radiation exposure when compared with flights at lower altitudes. | “STS-61 (OV-105, FLT #5) Official InFlight Anomaly Report. |
| ERS-1 | Satellite | 1991-050A | | 1991 | Actve | Temporary failure | A Precision Range and Range Rate Equipment (PRARE) instrument failed on this European Space Agency Remote Sensing Satellite (ERS) following a transitory high current event. The failure was found to have occurred close to the center of the South Atlantic Anomaly. Ground tests showed certain memories to be sensitive to proton induced latch-ups. It was concluded that the failure was due to latch-ups during exposure to South Atlantic Anomaly protons. | Adams, L.,”A Verified Proton Induced Latch-Up in Space,” IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science NS- 39, pp. 1804-1808. |
| Hipparcos | Satellite | 1989-062B | 20169 | Jun-1993 | Active | End of mission | The satellite experienced further difficulties in communications between the ground and the onboard computer. This was attributed to radiation damage to certain components. Attempts to restart operations proved unsuccessful, and mission operations were terminated on August 15, 1993 | “ESA Bulletin,” August 1993, #75, p. 14 |
| Mars Odissey | Interplanetary probe | 2001-013A | 26734 | Aug-2001 | Active | Severe failure. | Martian Radiation Environment Experiment (Marie) failed as result of radiation damage that caused a single-event upset in the instrument’s memory. Control of the instrument was regained in February 2002. On 28 October 2003, during a period of intense solar activity the instrument finally ceased to function. | Harland, David M. & Lorenz, Ralph D., Space Systems Failures. Springer-Praxis, 2005. P.279 |