MIL-PRF-1540, A PERFORMANCE SPECIFICATION FOR DESIGN AND PRODUCT VERIFICATION OF SPACE HARDWARE

Acquisition reform has caused the cancellation or conversion of many m ilitary specifications and standards. One of the standards targeted fo r conversion by Air Force Material Command (AFMC) was MIL-STD-1540. Th e standard provides details for the testing of launch, upper stage, an d space vehicles. AFMC requested that MIL-STD-1540C be converted from a standard to an alternative form of documentation. To answer this req uest, The Aerospace Corporation and Space and Missile Systems Center u sed an innovative approach to develop a document that retained the val ue of the original standard. The new document is MIL-PRF-1540 (a Milit ary Performance Specification). MIL-PRF-1540 is intended for use in th e Request For Proposal (RFP) instructions for new procurements of spac e hardware. The value of MIL-STD-1540C was retained by incorporating i t into the already existing MIL-HDBK-340. The revised handbook, MIL-HD BK-340A, is referenced by MIL-PRF-1540 as guidelines only.