Augmented Reality for the enhancement of space product assurance and safety

A growing number of companies in the aerospace industry are already leading projects to deploy Augmented Reality (AR) to improve their workplace performance, knowledge transfer, as well as workforce productivity. In parallel, national and international agencies in aerospace, such as the European Space Agency (ESA), are running studies to evaluate the application of AR to enhance the quality and cost effectiveness of space missions. We hereby present the results of a study performed by ESA to assess the maturity and potential business value of AR for application to space product assurance and safety activities. For this purpose, we conduct an on-line survey and interviews with product assurance and safety professionals. Moreover, we provide a detailed review of space industry use case requirements and readiness levels of potentially involved technology components. Findings indicate that maturity of many components enabling AR may not fully satisfy the space industry's requirements, while, at the same time, there is great potential for impact and long-term benefits from AR introduction.