This International Standard specifies the general characteristics, performance, design, test, safety, reliability, maintainability and quality requirements for ground support equipment (GSE) and systems intended for use at launch, landing, or retrieval-site installations or other locations that are the responsibility of the launch, landing and retrieval site. This International Standard does not specify how to design GSE, but establishes the minimum requirements to provide simple, robust, safe, reliable, maintainable and cost-effective GSE.
This International Standard is applicable to the design of non-flight hardware and software used to support the operations of transporting, receiving, handling, assembly, inspection, test, checkout, service, launch and recovery of space vehicles and payloads at the launch, landing, or retrieval sites. As such, the requirements of this International Standard are optional for hardware used only at the manufacturing, development, or test sites prior to arrival at the launch, landing, or retrieval sites or at the mission control site. However, if such GSE is temporarily used at a launch, landing, or retrieval site, for whatever reason, this GSE shall comply with all the safety-related requirements of this International Standard, as a minimum.
NOTE —In the event of conflict between the documents referenced herein and the contents of this International Standard, the contents of this International Standard supersede except where otherwise noted. The applicable contract or purchase/procurement order takes precedence over the contents of this International Standard in the event of conflicting requirements. Nothing in this International Standard supersedes applicable laws and regulations unless a specific exemption has been obtained.