Space standards for Europe

To stimulate user-friendly systems, and as an element of its European Space Programme, the Commission has prepared a mandate for the key European standardisation authorities, that they establish standards to improve the end-to-end performance of European space systems, and aid their interconnection to other transmission technologies aimed for the end-user. The effort is expected to last for 15 months, building on collaboration with the widest possible range of interested groups: relevant international and national authorities, industries involved in manufacture for space and ground segment equipment, and service/content providers.

This activity particular to the space field falls within an overall activity on standardisation by the Commission, for which a new web-site has been created at:

http://europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/standards_policy/index_en.htm

In addition to a general description, this site provides a link to a recently issued document ‘Action Plan for European Standardisation’ as well as linking to the presentations of the Conference on ‘International Cooperation in Standardisation’ held as part of the World Standards Day on October 14th 2005.