In the new space era more fast-paced hybrid satellite missions are emerging, with a modular payload and qualified platform. Therefore, the approach of Product Assurance (PA) to reviews needs to be modified to maintain the speed of the project. Thoughtful and creative methods must be employed to allow an easy and convenient review of the project while ensuring mission quality and safety. The use of a qualified platform allows to focus on the payload development and minimizes the risk of mission failure due to platform reliability issues. This allows for adaptation and redefinition of traditional PA and review methods. Specifically for the Preliminary Design Review (PDR), an approach has to be developed that gives payload developers more freedom in developing their instruments and reduces the workload required, while small satellite missions may not even have additional manpower available. This is done by examining European Cooperation for Space Standardization (ECSS) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) standards and applying changes towards non-document based personal reviews. This provides the opportunity to use a central online tool to collect and review the required information and to deepen the review, while at the same time reducing the bureaucratic burden for reviews and documentation to be submitted. This study presents, a PDR-level analysis for small satellite missions with a focus on the payload in new space. A brief introduction to the ECSS and NASA PDR is given, focusing on schedule, organisation as well as methods and tools with respect to PA. This is followed by a presentation of the development of the new PDR approach, inspired by the traditional PDR. There the new schedule, new organization, as well as new methods and tools will be described in detail to provide a guideline for future missions. This new development enables to implement a leaner, faster, more flexible and simpler PDR review process with adapted PA. It also lays the foundation for mission verification and future research.    «

In the new space era more fast-paced hybrid satellite missions are emerging, with a modular payload and qualified platform. Therefore, the approach of Product Assurance (PA) to reviews needs to be modified to maintain the speed of the project. Thoughtful and creative methods must be employed to allow an easy and convenient review of the project while ensuring mission quality and safety. The use of a qualified platform allows to focus on the payload development and minimizes the risk of mission f...    »