May 2025 Monthly Overview: Aircraft and Space Vehicle Engineering Standards (Part 2)

Looking back at May 2025, the Aircraft and Space Vehicle Engineering field experienced a notable period of standards development activity. This month, five pivotal standards were published, each addressing aspects central to safety, dependability, reliability, modernization, and performance testing. Whether you're a program manager, engineer, compliance professional, or responsible for procurement, this overview distills the key requirements of each standard and discusses the industry’s ongoing shift toward holistic risk management and lifecycle assurance.

Monthly Overview: May 2025

May 2025 was marked by a cluster of publications in Aircraft and Space Vehicle Engineering, reaffirming the sector's focus on operational safety and system dependability. Released standards addressed both high-level program management principles and technical requirements for system modernization and component testing. Compared to prior months, May’s concentration on RAMS (Reliability, Availability, Maintainability, Safety) and failure management processes indicates an industry-wide move to integrate risk management with system engineering and support activities from the earliest stages of program development through operational deployment and system upgrade cycles.

Organizations will note that these standards do not stand alone; rather, they interlock to form a systematic approach to safety, reliability, and modernization. This highlights a trend toward multidisciplinary compliance and integrated program execution—a direction highly relevant for stakeholders with cross-functional responsibilities or managing complex supplier-customer relationships.

Standards Published This Month

EN 9227-1:2025 – Guide to Dependability and Safety Control

Aerospace series – Programme management – Guide to dependability and safety control

This European standard addresses the construction and management of product dependability and safety within aerospace programs. It provides structured guidance for program directors and project managers to specify, implement, and oversee RAMS activities—encompassing reliability, availability, maintainability, and safety—throughout all program phases. The standard goes beyond technical design, extending to production resources, support processes, and management activities. Negotiable provisions at all hierarchical levels enable tailored application, while the focus remains predominantly on technical aspects rather than legislative or confidential matters.

Organizations managing complex projects, including multi-level supplier/customer relationships, will find actionable frameworks for defining RAMS plans, distributing responsibilities, conducting technical risk analysis, and achieving digital continuity across documentation. The guidance aligns closely with EN 9200 and strengthens the integration of RAMS principles with quality assurance, logistics support, human factors, and cybersecurity considerations.

Key highlights:

• Systematic construction and management of RAMS through all program phases
• Responsibility matrices and escalation workflows within customer-supplier chains
• Integrated approach aligning RAMS, quality assurance, and digital documentation

Access the full standard:View EN 9227-1:2025 on iTeh Standards

EN 9227-2:2025 – Guide for Reliability Control

Aerospace series – Programme management – Guide for reliability control

Focusing specifically on reliability, EN 9227-2:2025 provides a detailed methodology for constructing, managing, and demonstrating the reliability of aerospace products and their components. The standard guides stakeholders through defining reliability goals, calculating and allocating reliability targets, performing risk and failure analyses (including FMECA and functional analysis), and conducting reliability tests (demonstration, characterization, and growth tests).

It also sets expectations for embedded management practices such as activity review, risk management, corrective action systems (notably FRACA/FRACAS), and assurance throughout all program phases—from conceptualization to use and support. The guidance is particularly relevant to organizations involved in large, multi-phase aerospace and defense programs.

Key highlights:

• Comprehensive breakdown of calculation, analysis, and testing reliability tasks
• Integration of reliability assurance with program management and risk processes
• Detailed guidance for applying reliability controls during development, realization, and operational phases

Access the full standard:View EN 9227-2:2025 on iTeh Standards

ISO 20892:2025 – Launch Complexes Modernization Process

Space systems – Launch complexes modernization process – General requirements

ISO 20892:2025 offers a unified approach to the modernization of launch complexes, addressing the procedures for planning, executing, and validating upgrades. Developed in the context of rapid technological advancements, evolving vehicle requirements, and a growing need for enhanced safety and reliability, the standard delineates modernization stages, outlines performance requirements, and defines the roles and interactions of the main participants (such as service customers, manufacturers, and suppliers).

The requirements are applicable to any organization engaged in configuring or upgrading launch facility infrastructure, as well as those tasked with compliance or oversight. Notably, the document incorporates references to related ISO standards covering safety management, risk analysis, and interface controls—promoting consistency and risk mitigation throughout the modernization lifecycle.

Key highlights:

• Structured modernization process with defined stages and participant roles
• Alignment with broader ISO space systems safety, risk, and quality requirements
• Focus on economic efficiency, performance improvement, and personnel safety

Access the full standard:View ISO 20892:2025 on iTeh Standards

ISO 5461:2025 – Failure Reporting, Analysis and Corrective Action (FRACA) Process Requirements

Space systems – Failure reporting, analysis and corrective action (FRACA) process requirements

ISO 5461:2025 establishes a graded, closed-loop process for the management of failures in space, launch, and ground control systems after qualification. The standard specifies criteria for collecting, analyzing, and mitigating failures—tailored to the safety or mission severity category and aligned with lifecycle systems engineering principles. The FRACA process is relevant for all stakeholders in design, testing, manufacturing, operations, and maintenance roles within space system supply chains.

Key elements include detailed process levels (with increasing rigor and documentation at higher levels), integration with product assurance and non-conformance processes, and provisions for continual improvement based on trending and audit activities. The requirements extend to both hardware and software elements, ensuring broad applicability.

Key highlights:

• Graded (multi-level) FRACA process from basic to advanced continuous improvement
• Clear definitions for failure reporting, verification, analysis, corrective action, and feedback loops
• Aligns with key ISO standards for space systems safety, quality assurance, and risk management

Access the full standard:View ISO 5461:2025 on iTeh Standards

EN 2591-403:2025 – Sinusoidal and Random Vibration Test Methods

Aerospace series – Elements of electrical and optical connection – Test methods – Part 403: Sinusoidal and random vibration

A revision to the 2018 edition, EN 2591-403:2025 defines testing methods for determining whether electrical and optical connectors can withstand sinusoidal or random vibrations at specified severities. The test procedures are crucial for qualification and acceptance of onboard systems, as vibrations are a significant environmental stressor in aircraft and spacecraft.

The standard is used in conjunction with EN 2591-100 and references international vibration testing methods (such as EN 60068-2-6 and EN 60068-2-64). This update revises references and clarifies scope elements, ensuring alignment with current best practices for vibration endurance assessment in European aerospace programs.

Key highlights:

• Updated methodologies for sinusoidal and random vibration endurance assessment
• Expanded clarity around test procedures, severities, and performance requirements
• Applicable to a wide range of onboard equipment and instrument connectors

Access the full standard:View EN 2591-403:2025 on iTeh Standards

Common Themes and Industry Trends

A retrospective analysis of May 2025’s standards in Aircraft and Space Vehicle Engineering reveals several clear, interconnected themes:

• Integration of RAMS Throughout the Lifecycle: Both EN 9227-1 and EN 9227-2 promote a holistic approach to reliability and safety from concept through disposal, blending program management with technical requirements.
• Modernization and Upgrading Infrastructure: ISO 20892 underscores the necessity of systematic modernization, responding to rapid evolution in launch vehicles and the demand for enhanced reliability and cost efficiency.
• Closed-Loop Failure Management: The publication of ISO 5461 signals greater formalization in root-cause analysis, corrective action, and continual improvement for all mission-critical components.
• Up-to-Date Component Testing: EN 2591-403’s revised version illustrates ongoing improvement in hardware qualification and type approval standards, particularly for high-stress flight environments.
• Digital Continuity and Information Flow: Many standards emphasize robust documentation, traceable communication across program levels, and integration with digital quality and assurance systems.

Collectively, these trends point to a maturing industry focus on collaborative risk management, digitalization of engineering processes, and adaptive infrastructure capable of supporting next-generation aerospace activities.

Compliance and Implementation Considerations

For organizations subject to these new standards, several practical actions are warranted:

• Update Program Management Procedures: Review internal RAMS and reliability control plans to ensure alignment with EN 9227-1 and EN 9227-2, especially in supplier/customer interfaces and reporting requirements.
• Assess Modernization Practices: Facilities managers should benchmark current launch complex upgrade processes against ISO 20892, ensuring all modernization stages are covered—from needs identification to performance validation and documentation.
• Enhance Failure Reporting Systems: Engineering and maintenance teams should evaluate their FRACA processes to meet the graded requirements in ISO 5461, incorporating regular trending, audit, and continual improvement activities.
• Verify Hardware Test Protocols: Test laboratories and product engineers must update their vibration test methods as per EN 2591-403 to ensure compliance for both new and legacy platforms.
• Document and Communicate: Maintain clear, accessible records of activities and decisions to demonstrate due diligence in audits and when interfacing with partners.

Implementation priorities:

1. Map your current systems to the new requirements.
2. Provide staff training on updated standards and process changes.
3. Integrate changes into contracts, as many provisions are negotiable and rely on supplier/customer escalation and reporting relationships.
4. Set timelines for compliance, considering that withdrawn conflicting standards may phase out by late 2025 as per CEN and ISO policies.
5. Use available resources (such as guidance annexes and templates) provided by the standards themselves.

Conclusion: Key Takeaways from May 2025

May 2025 saw the publication of several cornerstone standards in Aircraft and Space Vehicle Engineering. These addressed dependable program management, reliability construction, failure management, launch complex modernization, and vibration testing. Key takeaways for sector professionals are:

• Holistic lifecycle assurance and risk management are now baseline expectations.
• Digital continuity, documentation, and traceability form the backbone of compliance and effective collaboration.
• Facilities and equipment modernization must be systematic and aligned with evolving safety, reliability, and performance demands.
• Robust, flexible, and scalable failure analysis and corrective action processes are essential for mission assurance.

Staying current with such standards is not merely a regulatory obligation—it drives operational excellence, reduces risk, and fosters innovation across the industry’s value chain. Professionals are encouraged to consult the full texts for detailed methodologies and clauses, and to integrate these standards into quality, safety, and engineering strategies.

Explore and access these standards in full detail at iTeh Standards to ensure your organization remains at the cutting edge of compliance and best practice in Aircraft and Space Vehicle Engineering.