Lead-free Transition for the European Space Sector

The European Space Sector can no longer avoid the need to plan and implement a managed transition to lead-free electronics. This stimulus comes from two fronts: Regulatory and Market pressures. In the Regulatory front while the Space Sector was out of scope of the RoHS Directive, a new front has recently opened with REACH. The Sector is also subjected to increasing Market pressures. Due to the overall transition of the Electronics Industry worldwide to a Pb-free realm, the Space Industry is more and more confronted with a situation where they cannot avoid using EEE parts with Pb-free coatings, notably COTS, and they need to manage the associated risks