Authors: Dinesha V. Hegde (Department of Space Science & Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research (CSPAR), The University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL 35899 USA), Tae K. Kim (Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research (CSPAR), The University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL 35899 USA), Nikolai V. Pogorelov (Department of Space Science & Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research (CSPAR), The University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL 35899 USA), Charles N. Arge (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA), and Shaela I.Jones (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA & Catholic University of America, Washington, DC 20064, USA )

The knowledge of the ambient solar wind (SW) is of importance for the correct description of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) propagating towards Earth. CMEs, on the other hand, are responsible for the acceleration and transport of solar energetic particles (SEPs). Correct prediction of CME arrivals and of the magnetic field they carry is required for space weather (SWx) forecasts. Understanding the physical processes in the ambient SW plasma is therefore critical for SWx forecasting. We simulate the 3D global heliosphere using an empirically driven MHD model developed within the Multi-Scale Fluid-Kinetic Simulation Suite (MS-FLUKSS). We compare our simulations with the data from the PSP, SolO, STEREO-A, ACE, and Wind missions. The focus is on the periods of near-radial alignments between PSP, SolO, and Earth during encounters 6 to 9. We discuss the sources of error and possible ways to improve the model. Such multi-satellite comparisons help improve our understanding of SW propagation and optimize our data-driven MHD model for SWx forecasting.