This Standard specifies the general requirements for the qualification, procurement, storage and delivery of photovoltaic assemblies, solar cell assemblies, bare solar cells, coverglasses, protection diodes and planar blocking diodes suitable for space applications.

This standard does not cover the particular qualification requirements for a specific mission.

This Standard is primarily applicable for qualification approval for photovoltaic assemblies, solar cell assemblies, bare solar cells, coverglasses, protection diodes and planar blocking diodes, and to the procurement of these items.

This standard is limited to crystalline Silicon and single and multi-junction GaAs solar cells with a thickness of more than 50 µm and does not include thin film solar cell technologies and poly-crystalline solar cells.

This Standard does not cover the concentration technology, and especially the requirements related to the optical components of a concentrator (e.g. reflector and lens) and their verification (e.g. collimated light source).

This Standard is not applicable for qualification of the solar array subsystem, solar panels, structure and solar array mechanisms.

This standard may be tailored for the specific characteristic and constrains of a space project in conformance with ECSS‑S‑ST‑00.

Qualification is a process to confirm compliance with requirements that have been established with reference to foregoing characterization and engineering test programs. Guidelines for characterization and engineering tests and for relaxation of qualification tests due to similarity with earlier performed qualification are described in the handbook ECSS‑E‑HB‑20‑08. Those clauses in this standard, for which the Handbook gives additional information, will refer to the Handbook.