Fraunhofer Institute for Technological Trend Analysis INTRACOCO Questionnaire Explanations
The following table explains the understanding of terms that serves as the baseline for the questionnaire or clarifies some options given in the possible answers.
| COTS | Abbreviation for “Commercial-off-the-shelf”. Refers in the context of this study to any EEE part that was neither designed, developed or tested by the manufacturer for space applications or the space market. Examples are e.g. AEC-Q-qualified parts or consumer-grade parts. |
| NewSpace | NewSpace refers to enterprises and ventures in the private sector working independently of governments, traditional prime contractors and agencies or at least offer products or services that were developed outside of the scope of governments, traditional prime contractors and agencies. |
| SmallSat | A fully functional small form factor satellite mostly based on a commercial and standardized platform. |
| Simple analog components | Discrete components, such as transistors, diodes, or similar. Passive components could be considered here, too, even if they are not expressively topic within this survey. |
| Complex analog ICs | Integrated circuits with analog signals, such as sensors, power management circuits, and operational amplifiers. |
| Simple digital components | Digital components of lower complexity, for example digital isolators, multiplexer, or simpler analog-digital-converters. |
| Complex digital components | Highly integrated digital circuits, such as microcontrollers, processors, FPGAs, very modern memories. |
| Power components | Devices to handle high powers, such as power MOSFETs, thyristors, IBGTs. |
| Mandatory standards | A defined set of common standards that is considered to be applicable for all COTS applications in space. |
| Change of mindset | Getting beyond simplified and traditional positions with respect to the exclusive use of HiRel parts. |
| Risk oriented approach | Methods to establish an aggregated quantitative risk for using a specific device in a mission. |
| Board/assembly tests | Qualification of whole (sub-)systems or boards instead of individual components. |
| Database of tests | A collection of radiation test results obtained on COTS components. |
| Access to facilities | The availability of suitable test facilities could be a limiting factor in performing radiation tests. |