“All these items come accompanied by documentation of course, stating precisely how they are to be used,” explains software engineer Jorge Lopez Trescastro of ESA’s Flight Software Systems section.

“These details might include their electrical connections and their data interfaces, governing how they receive and send data – including their adoption of defined data standards such as Canbus, Milbus or SpaceWire. Of course such items must be used in the correct way, otherwise they might be damaged or malfunction, so it is vital that they are thoroughly and understandably documented.”