فرایند مدیریت فن آوری در آژانس فضایی اروپا

Technology is developed at the European Space Agency (ESA) under several programmes: corporate and domain specific, mandatory and optional, with different time horizons and covering different levels of the TRL scale. To improve the transparency and efficiency of the complete process, it was felt necessary to establish an agreed end to end process for the management of all technology R&D activity that could: 1. Include all ESA programmes and consider the requirements of European users 2. Lead to coordinated multi-year work plan and yearly procurement plans 3. Prepare and enable future European space programmes 4. Be harmonized with national initiatives in Europe Thereby establishing the basis for a product policy to reduce risks to technology users, reduce costs and delays, and enhance industrial competitiveness and non-dependence. In response to the above needs, ESA has developed a technology management process called the ESA End-to-End process (E2E), from establishment of the strategy to the monitoring and evaluation of R&D results. In this paper, the complete process will be described in detail including a discussion on its strengths and limitations, and its links to the wider European Harmonization process. The paper will be concluded with the introduction of the ESA Technology Tree: a basic tool to structure and facilitate communication about technology issues.

Mastering technology in due time is mandatory to limit project development risks, improve the competitiveness of European industry in commercial markets and minimize European dependence on products procured from sources outside Europe. Furthermore, technology developments are an important instrument for structuring the European industrial landscape. Technology is developed in ESA under several corporate (TRP, GSTP) and domain specific programmes (EOEP, CTP, etc.). Some are mandatory (TRP, CTP), the rest are optional. Only TRP addresses all service and technology domains. GSTP addresses all domains but telecommunications. Technology programmes in ESA address different stages of development/maturity, as illustrated in Fig. 1, where programmes are shown against the TRL scale. As technology is developed in ESA under several programmes, it was felt necessary to establish a clear and unified End-to-End (E2E) process, spanning from definition to evaluation of technology development activities, and covering all of the existing R&D programmes.

This paper describes the process implemented by the European Space Agency to manage all of the technology research and development activities needed to achieve its mission objectives. The key elements of the process have been described, and the strengths and weaknesses discussed. The process itself has been first implemented in the Agency in 2005, is based on extensive consultation with all parties involved, and is undergoing continuous improvements. The process aims at the coherent definition, harmonisation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of all technology R&D activities of the European Space the Agency, and is now fully functional.