What if the manufacturer states parts are not qualified for space applications?

  • Open
  • PMPedia Admin
    Moderator
    2020-06-19 at 12:17 pm #1441
    Up
    0
    Down

    When a manufacturer’s disclaimer states that parts are not qualified for space applications (e.g., SmallSats), and your designers include those parts in units, what technical data do you use to substantiate their use?

1 Reply

    PMPedia Admin
    Moderator
    Posts: 29
    2020-06-19 at 12:17 pm #1442
    Up
    1
    Down

    Suggestions, Observations and Lessons Learned

    There may be occasions where a part not intended for space use possesses sufficiently attractive functionality, performance, cost and/or availability benefits that make it a candidate for a particular space mission. This may or may not present significant risk. Independent testing under conditions representative of the actual mission, very conservative redundancy schemes, or performing worst-case, combined effects (e.g., electrical, thermal, radiation, vibration) analyses based on measured data, may be options that can increase confidence in the parts.