European Space Components Coordination (ESCC)
The goal of the European Space Components Coordination (ESCC) is to improve the availability of strategic electrical, electronic and electro-mechanical (EEE) space components having the required performance and at affordable costs for institutional and commercial space programmes.
ESCC members are Agencies, Industry and EEE component manufacturers. They perform harmonisation and executive tasks under the Space Components Steering Board (SCSB), supported by a Policy and Standards Working Group (PSWG) and a Components Technology Board (CTB).
Responsibility for the realisation of the ESCC objectives is placed with the SCSB, which leads a unique European partnership between space component users, manufacturers, suppliers and national/international space agencies. The principles of the ESCC are formalised in the Charter of the European Space Components Coordination.
The ESCC is a self-standing organisation that provides for:
The ESCC is a self-standing organisation that provides for:
Technical specification of EEE parts
Methodologies for component evaluation and qualification
Provision of testing methods
Quality assurance provisions
Operational provisions
ESCC ROLE
ESCC activities are divided into harmonisation tasks and executive tasks. The former is performed under the auspices of the Space Components Steering Board (SCSB) supported by a Policy and Standards Working Group (PSWG) and a Components Technology Board (CTB).
The SCSB was set up by way of a Founding Act enacted on 8 October 2002. This act comprises an agreement between space agencies, European space industry (‘component users’) and European component manufacturers (‘component providers’) to cooperate in the field of EEE parts for use in space programmes.
Executive Task is carried out by the ESCC Executive, which is provided by the Space Agencies participating in ESCC (the signatories to the Founding Act). Currently this task is carried out by ESA. The primary responsibility of the Executive is to provide an organisation for the custody and management of the ESCC Specification System and to manage the related tasks of evaluation and qualification of components and the certification of components and component manufacturers.
The Executive's primary responsibility is to:
The Executive's primary responsibility is to:
Provide an organisation for the custody and management of the ESCC Specification System.
Manage the tasks of evaluation and qualification of components.
Manage the tasks of certification of components and component manufacturers.
An information exchange system with component data is provided on a voluntary basis by the participating organisations and with access available to industry. To this end, an information exchange system website has been implemented. ECSS members can share EEE component information in a controlled and secure environment. The website is intended to improve competitiveness and provide support to European industry involved in space projects.
The ESCC information exchange system
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