ECSS Updates Materials, Mechanical Parts and Processes Standard
December 14, 2004
The European Cooperation for Space Standardization initiative issued an update to its ECSS-Q-70A standard, defining requirements and statements applicable to materials, mechanical parts and processes to address a range of space mission performance requirements. The new standard, ECSS-Q-70B, also defines the documentation requirements and procedures relevant to obtaining approval for the use of materials, mechanical parts and processes in the fabrication of space systems and associated equipment.
According to ECSS, the new standard covers the following:
- Management, including organization, reviews, acceptance status and documentation control.
- Selection criteria and rules.
- Evaluation, validation and qualification, or verification testing.
- Procurement and receiving inspection.
- Utilization criteria and rules.
Additionally, the relationship between activities and program phases is defined in Annex A of the standard.
The provisions of ECSS-Q-70B apply to all factors involved at all levels in the production of space systems. These can include manned and unmanned spacecraft, launchers, satellites, payloads, experiments, electrical ground support equipment, mechanical ground support equipment and corresponding organizations.
For specific projects, the requirements defined in this standard should be tailored to match the true requirements of a particular profile and circumstances of a project, said the ECSS. (Officially, tailoring is a process by which individual requirements of specifications, standards and related documents are evaluated and made applicable to a specific project, by selection and, in some exceptional cases modifications, of existing or new requirements.)
Source: European Cooperation for Space Standardization initiative.