About EEE Components
They are mostly small in size but indispensable: Electrical, Electronic and Electro-mechanical (EEE) components are the fundamental building blocks of any spacecraft. It is one of ESA’s priorities to ensure the availability of suitable, reliable and cost-effective EEE components for the space industry.
What is the EEE component Domain?
EEE components contain a large number of families as defined in the ECSS-Q-ST-60.
The components section is responsible for parts development, evaluation and qualification and for supporting ESA missions in the field of EEE (Electrical, Electronic and Electromechanical) components. Those tasks are broadly divided into two areas: project support and dedicated technical expertise.
Project Support
ESA projects are supported from the early stages until integration, and sometimes even longer, by technical support concerning the selection, characterization, evaluation, qualification and application of components for space applications. This includes the definition of adequate Product Assurance requirements for EEE components, the assessment and approval of EEE components through Part Control Boards where DCLs (Declared Component Lists) and PADs (Part Approval Documents) are reviewed and through design reviews.
In the event of failure or non-conformance of EEE components, the EEE component expert provide guidance into recommendation and root cause analysis.
Dedicated technical expertise
In each EEE component family, dedicated experts formulate, implement and manage EEE technical activities with respect to development, manufacturing, application and testing.
This is supported through the participation in ESCC and ECSS (European Cooperation for Space Standardization) working groups for the coordination of components development activities; including the technical formulation, review and maintenance of component engineering standards and specifications and through the leadership in CTB (Component Technology Board) working groups formulating European space EEE roadmaps.
Why are EEE components important?
The quality of the EEE components used on a spacecraft is a determining factor for their reliable operation and performance throughout the mission life. It is therefore essential to ensure that all space components are sufficiently robust to endure the environmental and application stress they encounter.
The starting point is always a thorough evaluation of the components’ properties and behaviour under the known usage conditions in space, which are very different from terrestrial applications for which most of the parts have been originally intended. Those conditions are more demanding in particular in terms of radiation environment and long-term reliability.
