UNE-EN 16603-20-08:2023

This Standard specifies the general requirements for the qualification, procurement, storage and delivery of photovoltaic assemblies, solar cell assemblies, bare solar cells, coverglasses and protection diodes suitable for space applications.

This standard does not cover the particular qualification requirements for a specific mission.

This Standard primarily applies to qualification approval for photovoltaic assemblies, solar cell assemblies, bare solar cells, coverglasses and protection diodes, and to the procurement of these items.

This standard is limited to crystaline Silicon and single and multi-junction GaAs solar cells with a thickness of more than 50 ¼m and does not include thin film solar cell technologies and poly-crystaline solar cells.

This Standard does not cover the concentration technology, and especially the requirements related to the optical components of a concentrator (e.g. reflector and lens) and their verification (e.g. collimated light source).

This Standard does not apply to qualification of the solar array subsystem, solar panels, structure and solar array mechanisms.

This standard may be tailored for the specific characteristic and constrains of a space project in conformance with ECSS-S-ST-00.

Qualification is a process to confirm compliance with requirements that have been established with reference to foregoing characterization and engineering test programs. Guidelines for characterization and engineering tests and for relaxation of qualification tests due to similarity with earlier performed qualification are defined in the handbook ECSS-E-HB-20-08. Those clauses in this standard, for which the Handbook gives additional information, will refer to the Handbook.