Proposals for a space product assurance process improvement based on an aeronautical process

Complex and highly integrated products demand an enhancement of product assurance processes to ensure they will perform as expected, especially in harsh environments, with improbable maintenance, dangerous operations and limited budget, as happens with space products. This research paper identifies a set of similarities between aeronautical and space products, and how aeronautics as a global industry, largely commercial and with a very high safety level developed over decades can be an amazing source of experience for the space industries. In addition, a comparison was done between the space product assurance process, which normally belongs to space agencies, and the corresponding aeronautical process, the type certification, driven by aviation authorities. As a result of such comparison, two practices from the aeronautical industry have demonstrated great potential for improvement and applicability regarding a space product assurance process: 1) continued airworthiness and 2) design organization approvals. Firstly, as happens with aeronautical products, a special focus on safety aspects is given to the continued operation of space products, defined as “spaceworthiness”, based on product certification and several post-certification activities that may be adopted by space product operators. Secondly, as a state of the art for space product certification, the adoption of a “Space Design Organization Approval” (SDOA) appears to be not only an answer for space products certification but also a feasible way for Space Authorities to attest design quality. Finally, it is worth mentioning that the organizations evaluated in this paper have their work based on internationally recognized standards. Therefore, the information employed is generally relevant to the international public and not only limited to the satellite product. Such information could be extended to space products in general.