Thermal vacuum and thermal cycle testing are widely complemented in space flight hardware and components as an effective way to screen out potential defects in manufacture and integration. The number of cycles is a test condition which affects the screening effect. The more cycles makes higher screening effect, however, it needs more testing cost. The quantitative analysis of screening effect versus number of cycles is an important issue which will help to decide the appropriate number of cycles for the space programs. There were researches to model the screening effect versus number of cycles by investigation of nonconformance detected during thermal cycle testing of aviation electronics in a statistical way, but there was few report related on space experience. Nevertheless, the confidence of model for space flight hardware was much less reported. This paper proposes a method of modeling the screening effect with number of cycles by applying the nonconformance sampling of space hardware. Validation of proposed model is discussed and its statistical confidence for accounting limited samples is calculated. From the proposed model, it was indicated and confirmed that over 99 % of space flight hardware and components procured on the basis of JAXA design standards are nonconformance-free after 8 thermal cycles in 85 °C test temperature range with 90 % confidence.

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In this paper, we discuss manufacturers' value creation through innovation. In the current situation, where representation of the value added in the value chain by smile shaped curve advances in manufacturing industry, it has become important providing services and solutions with higher customer value to the customers, in addition to basing on the highly competitive, specific-function-featured products. In order to achieve it, while we define the specific-function-featured products as the 0th area, we propose to improve the customer value creation in the business models of the two regions, the first area: services, the second area: solutions, in the value chain downstream. Through examples in construction and mining equipment industry, telematics of construction equipment and autonomous haulage system in mining, it is shown that it is also possible in the value chain downstream to create the customer value and to expand business areas. In order to realize this business model, it is important to reveal the underlying customer needs and problems and to solve the technical problems well-balancing own technology and open innovation.

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