Differences and similarities of the development phases of ground-based and space-based astronomical instrumentation

Abstract

This paper compares engineering development approaches in space-based and ground-based astronomical instrumentation, highlighting how historically distinct processes are converging with the emergence of Extremely Large Telescopes (ELT)-class instruments and their increasing engineering complexity. The analysis is based on the author’s direct involvement in two major projects: METIS, a first-light instrument for ESO’s ELT, and AIRS, the infrared spectrometer for ESA’s ARIEL space mission, through roles in system engineering, project control management, and more than 20 across astronomical institutions in France, Germany and the Netherlands. The paper examines both the differences and the commonalities between the two development approaches. Topics include engineering context, consortium organization, project lifecycle, system engineering practices, requirements and configuration management, system team, model and prototyping strategies and selected engineering disciplines. A case study on 30 years of cryomechanism development illustrates how technology transfer has occurred in both directions between ground- and space-based instrumentation. The paper identifies opportunities for cross-domain collaboration and demonstrates how engineering practices developed in one domain can benefit the other.