# New Space Engineering Design: Characterization of Key Drivers
## 3 Results and Discussion
### General Discussion of New Space Design Drivers and Enablers
#### 3.1.2 Category B: Emerging Manufacturing and Integration Practices  
In addition to advances in materials science, manufacturing techniques, component availability, and system integration have also evolved, both technologically and in how they are incorporated in space projects. The alternative approach to risk management at the technical level mirrors the entrepreneurial willingness to accept higher risks at a business level, for example, by relying on private financing [1]. One opportunity is to employ components fabricated with reduced dimensions and power consumption without compromising performance. Although some microfabrication techniques may involve initial high costs, especially during prototyping, the process of miniaturization ensures cost savings in development (e.g., smaller ground test facilities, reduced transportation costs, and the possibility of mass production), launch (i.e., every gram launched into space carries cost implications), and operational phases. It allows the possibility of introducing redundancies into spacecraft within a fixed budget [39]. Additionally, lower power consumption indirectly reduces the need for bulky equipment, enabling the use of increasingly miniaturized electronic components, such as reduced-capacity batteries, smaller solar arrays, and simplified power management systems. Viewed from another angle, decreasing the power demand of single components enhances overall satellite profitability, as power can be conveniently allocated to mission-critical payloads. In this context, microfabrication provides an alternative to conventional engineering techniques. Among these, Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) are common microfabricated devices produced through batch processing for various fields, including optics, sensors, and propulsion. MEMS for space either had to be custom-designed to meet specific mission requirements or, if commercial and intended for terrestrial use, required extensive and expensive space qualification to demonstrate high-reliability operation as in applications on Earth [40]. During the first decade of the 2000s, MEMS devices exemplified the hesitation to use COTS components in space missions. At that time, the space sector still exhibited inertia toward technological change, primarily due to the historically high-cost and risk-averse nature of space projects [41]. Today, the design approach for space systems and subsystems has shifted toward reducing time-to-market and costs while maintaining high performance and increasingly relying on existing, standardized COTS solutions [42]. This is possible by carefully addressing the specific challenges of the space environment (e.g., high vacuum, intense mechanical stresses, significant thermal fluctuations, radiation exposure, microgravity, etc.) within the design process by incorporating applicable space standards from the early stages of development, such as the European Cooperation for Space Standardization (ECSS) standards. Concurrently, the market has grown with highly specialized providers offering high-performance commercial components that are already space-qualified or have accumulated flight heritage [43; 44]. The standardization of processes, systems, and components, for example, through standard interfaces or plug-and-play modules, combined with ongoing trends in miniaturization and more affordable launches, is further increasing space accessibility. Standardization alone can serve as a powerful enabler for addressing diverse mission needs, although it remains an emerging practice in the space domain compared to other industries. Modular design, which is widely applied in various engineering fields, offers several known advantages, including increased product diversity, accelerated technological upgrades, reduced development times and costs, and effective reuse of existing knowledge [45].