European Space Components Coordination
In October 2002 the Founding Act of the European Space Components Coordination (ESCC) was signed in ESA Headquarters by the Director General and senior representatives of National Space Agencies, User Industry (through Eurospace) and European component manufacturers.
This European partnership for EEE parts for space applications is organised as an Harmonisation Task and an Executive Task. The former is operated 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).
Major outputs of ESCC are the European Preferred Parts List (EPPL), the ESCC Specification System and the ESCC Qualified Parts List (QPL). ESA is both the Qualification Authority and the custodian of the specification system. ESA provides the core of the Executive Task which, as the ESCC Executive, conducts the day-to-day business of the ESCC System.
European Components Initiative
In early 2004 the Director General, responding to declared programme needs, launched the EEE European Components Initiative (ECI), inviting participation by the national space agencies through the forum of the ESCC.
The ECI will fill strategic gaps in the availability of European EEE components suitable for use in space. This will improve the autonomy of the European space contractors and the ability of the European public space sector to develop and deploy the space systems demanded by the Member States.
The components, evaluated under this initiative, will appear in the EPPL, and those that are fully space qualified will subsequently appear in the ESCC QPL.
escies.org
The European Space Components Information Exchange System (ESCIES) is a community web resource for EEE parts data. The web site operation and considerable data are provided by ESA through the ESCC Executive. Inter alia, ESCIES contains the EPPL, the ESCC Specifications and QPL as well as a broad range of component data.
Overall, the ESCC activities, including the ECI, are publicised on the ESCC website which complements ESCIES.
