Project Management of an ESA Space Mission | Ing. Andrea Argan (Uffico Centrale di Ingegneria, Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica )

Space missions are very complex projects with peculiar characteristics such as: strategic importance, extent of international participation, specialized industrial sector, high investment costs, long-term program duration, impossibility of intervening in space for repairs and/or maintenance. These peculiarities strongly influence the realization process since its conception. This talk provides an introduction to methods and tools of project management of a space mission under the guidance of the European Space Agency. The following topics will be covered: General section: – Introduction to management of complex projects; – Key elements for the design of a space mission; – Main phases for the development of a space mission; – The life cycle of ESA programs; – The European Cooperation for Space Standardization (ECSS) documentation for project management and quality control. Phase A study: – Objectives of a phase A; – The main activities of analysis and development; – Preliminary Requirements Review (PRR) documentation.