Overview
ISO/TS 18667:2018 - "Space systems - Capability‑based Safety, Dependability, and Quality Assurance (SD&QA) programme management" - provides guidance and capability‑rating criteria for planning, implementing, assessing, and improving SD&QA programmes across the life cycle of space systems. It applies to the design, development, fabrication, test, and operation of commercial, civil, and military space and ground control systems, sites/facilities, services, equipment, and computer software. The technical specification defines staged capability levels so organizations can scale SD&QA effort to product unit‑value/criticality and the maturity of systems engineering data.
Key Topics and Requirements
- Capability‑based approach: Predefined criteria (Annex B) to rate the capability of an entire SD&QA programme or individual SD&QA processes and to plan staged improvements.
- Scope of application: Covers safety, dependability, and quality assurance for space and ground control systems and associated software, facilities, and services.
- Programme governance: Authorize SD&QA programmes, assign qualified managers/engineers/technicians, and define policy, objectives, and principles.
- Requirements flow‑down: Identify and flow down essential SD&QA requirements; provide disposition criteria for conflicting requirements.
- Process selection and phasing: Select SD&QA processes based on product criticality and define implementation phasing aligned with systems engineering life‑cycle milestones.
- Risk management integration: Integrate SD&QA with programme‑wide technical risk management - identification, qualitative/quantitative likelihood assessment, mitigation assessment, tracking and reporting (single risk matrix format).
- Engineering and verification methods: Failure mode identification, maturity assessment of input data and assumptions, structured reviews, self‑inspections, and verification that SD&QA requirements are met.
- Continuous improvement: Capture and apply lessons learned, maintain SD&QA databases, and use capability ratings to plan changes in activities, resources, or processes.
- Supporting material: Annex A (fundamental processes), Annex C (definitions), Annex D (safety/mission‑critical checklist), and normative references to related ISO space programme standards.
Applications and Who Uses It
- Aerospace prime contractors and subsystem suppliers implementing SD&QA across development, production, test, launch, and operations.
- Space agencies and government programmes setting programme‑level assurance expectations for contractors.
- Programme and project managers aligning SD&QA work to product criticality and life‑cycle maturity.
- Systems engineers, safety and dependability engineers, QA leads, and certification authorities who need structured, scalable methods to manage technical risk and verify compliance.
Related Standards
- ISO 10794, ISO 10795, ISO 14300‑2, ISO 14620‑1, ISO 17666, ISO 23460, ISO 27025, ISO 9000 - referenced normative documents that address programme management, vocabulary, system safety, risk management, dependability, and QA concepts relevant to ISO/TS 18667:2018.
Keywords: ISO/TS 18667:2018, space systems, SD&QA, safety, dependability, quality assurance, capability‑based, risk management, programme management.