This standard is a standard within the ECSS hierarchy. It forms part of the electrical and electronic engineering discipline (ECSS-E-ST-20) of the engineering branch of the ECSS system (ECSS-E). It provides clear and consistent provisions to the application of measures to assess, in order to avoid and minimize hazardous effects arising from spacecraft charging and other environmental effects on a spacecraft’s electrical behaviour.
This standard is applicable to any type of spacecraft including launchers, when above the atmosphere.
Although spacecraft systems are clearly subject to electrical interactions while still on Earth (e.g. lightning and static electricity from handling), these aspects are not covered, since they are common to terrestrial systems and covered elsewhere. Instead this standard covers electrical effects occurring in space (i.e. from the ionosphere upwards).
This standard may be tailored for the specific characteristic and constrains of a space project in conformance with ECSS-S-ST-00.