4 The Steps to Take to Upscreen a COTS Device

Although the previous arguments strongly favor space‑grade parts, ignoring the possibility of up‑screening commercial‑off‑the‑shelf (COTS) devices is naïve. Two main motivations drive the evaluation of a commercial part for space‑flight:

1. Cost per unit
2. Performance within a given SWaP‑C budget

With the space sector increasingly funded by private capital, return on investment (ROI) becomes a critical factor. Choosing the safest option can result in components that are potentially too costly, too heavy, too large, too power‑hungry, or insufficient in performance to meet the business case for an innovative new space satellite program.

In such cases, up‑screening COTS parts can be a viable alternative. The following section outlines a typical up‑screening campaign performed by TESAT for relatively simple commercial components of lower complexity, such as op‑amps, logic gates, or buffer devices. The section provides general rules to help designers understand the typical cost, schedule, and residual risk associated with these campaigns—knowledge gained from TESAT’s evaluation of more than 200 commercial/AEC‑Q parts for space use.