Space systems verification program and management process

Having a solid verification program that ensures a “system is built right” plays a crucial role in both government and commercial space programs, since even the smallest error in a requirement, design/analysis, test, or inspection at every level of a system development could cause a major system malfunction and would be almost impossible to troubleshoot and repair once in space. According to the space/launch vehicles (SV/LVs) failure related data that have been collected by Aerospace Corporation since the 1960s, almost all of the post‐launch failures could have been prevented if their problems had been discovered prior to the shipment of these vehicles to their launch sites. In particular, it was found that the majority of these vehicles could have been successful if deficiencies were corrected during early phase (requirement and design phases) or lower system level of their systems development. In general, any latent problems discovered later on in system development would significantly impact cost and schedule of space programs, even if they were successfully corrected prior to launch. This paper presents a systematic approach to planning and executing verification of space systems based on a distributed‐space system verification program. It enforces a standardized set of modular‐management processes at every level and phase of space system development activities. This distributed verification program approach tries to enforce a standard set of management processes in order to prevent Total System Program Responsibility (TSPR) philosophy, a “faster, better, cheaper” approach, from being unintentionally adopted at any level of space system development due to schedule and cost pressures. This space systems verification approach is now explained in an U.S. DoD best practice document and also included in The Aerospace Corporation's specification and standard list. It has also been adopted as a compliance document in some major U.S. space programs, such as GPS Block III, and national security space programs. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Eng