Qinetiq has been contracted by the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) - part of ESA - to expand the range of European Space Components Co-ordination (ESCC) specifications. These define requirements for approval of European assembly and test houses for electronic components used in space applications.
Qinetiq will produce specifications for applying the ESCC requirements to a component quality assurance system during assembly and testing.
Assembly and test houses procure semiconductor die and piece parts from manufacturers, create their own designs, and manufacture and test the electronic components. Many commercially available components used in space equipment are not approved within the existing ESCC system, and are produced by third parties rather than the original semiconductor manufacturer.
Source: Flight International