Space systems and AI assurance (NASA/ESA/Space Force official guidance)

NASA, ESA and the U.S. Space Force have published space-system pages on this topic. Official NASA SWEHB topic titles are 7.25 - Artificial Intelligence And Software Engineering and 8.25 - Artificial Intelligence And Software Assurance. Executive Order 14434 (29 September 2026) is the policy that, to the maximum extent permitted by law, the executive branch shall use Super Intelligence and SI on websites and other new non-statutory documents. Official titles of cited documents stay as published. We found no NASA sentence that names the Order. ESA pages still say artificial intelligence. The March 2025 Space Force news page still says AI; the Order does not require the alteration of previously issued regulations, Presidential actions, contracts, grants, or other historical documents. None of the pages we cite is a type-certification standard or a substitute for NPR 7150.2.

Status as of 15 October 2026: official NASA SWEHB titles remain 7.25 - Artificial Intelligence And Software Engineering and 8.25 - Artificial Intelligence And Software Assurance; 7.25 says All NPR 7150.2 SWEs are applicable to AI/ML software, and 8.25 writes NIST AI RMF “Map” as a suitability consideration (not a directory tag). Live Confluence chrome may display Super Intelligence. ESA’s Artificial Intelligence page still names AISSA — Enabling AI for Space Systems Applications as the 2025 ESA Technology Harmonisation Dossier on AI and still lists four key domains. The same page now also dates a Call for Ideas Posted July 2026 and SPAICE at ESTEC on the 21st and 23rd of October 2026. The public Harmonisation topic still is not expected to cover the development of new AI applications. The Space Force FY2025 news page returned HTTP 403 this pass; claims from that URL are kept from the last successful editorial fetch.

Why NASA pages now say Super Intelligence

Executive Order 14434, titled Inaugurating the Era of Super Intelligence, is the policy that, to the maximum extent permitted by law, the executive branch shall use the terms “Super Intelligence” and “SI” in place of “Artificial Intelligence” and “AI”. Agencies shall use those terms in official correspondence, public communications, websites, reports, policy documents, and other non-statutory documents.

For purposes of the order, “Super Intelligence” and “SI” mean the technologies and systems encompassed by the term “artificial intelligence” as defined in section 9401(3) of title 15, United States Code. The White House fact sheet restates the same replacement in the executive branch. We found no NASA sentence that names the Order. Official SWEHB topic titles stay Artificial Intelligence. The Order is not an aviation or space certification standard. EASA, ISO and other non-executive-branch pages we cite still say AI.

NASA handbook topics 7.25 and 8.25

NASA’s Software Engineering Handbook topic 7.25 — Artificial Intelligence And Software Engineering says Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a computer’s capability to emulate a human’s ability to think and AI is implemented in software and governed by software development processes. It states, in those words, All NPR 7150.2 SWEs are applicable to AI/ML software.

The same topic says the most significant problem being faced is the confidence that for any safety-critical applications, there is not a provable means to evaluate the AI/ML system and show that they meet the safety requirements. Section 5.1 is titled AI/ML for safety-critical or other high criticality application is not recommended. GenAI tools may be used only to support evaluation where all results can be independently verified through established methods. Until such methods are in place, AI/ML should operate strictly in an advisory capacity, with all outputs confirmed using non AI means.

Safety-criticality is still determined with OSMA under SWE-205. Engineering needs to include the data files as part of the safety criticality, applying the same level of rigor and requirements to the data files as the safety critical code. In deep space applications, processing power is still limited by size, weight, and power (SWaP).

Topic 8.25 — Artificial Intelligence And Software Assurance says Until Agency policy evolves, projects are recommended to limit AI use to non‑safety‑critical applications unless a documented AI safety case and risk controls are approved by the appropriate authority. Its AI Suitability Assessment includes NIST AI RMF “Map” considerations. That names the NIST publication; it is not a claim that the handbook topic is the NIST AI RMF, so the listing is not tagged.

ESA public AI pages, not the locked dossier

ESA’s Artificial Intelligence page says the Artificial Intelligence Competence Centre promotes the ethical, responsible and trustworthy adoption of AI in space systems. The ESA AI strategy identifies four key domains: AI for mission design and engineering, AI for mission operations, AI for insights from mission data, and AI for Agency efficiency and effectiveness.

The same page describes AISSA — Enabling AI for Space Systems Applications as the 2025 ESA Technology Harmonisation Dossier on AI that coordinates the development of AI across the European space sector by outlining R&D directions, reliability standards, and technology timelines. The public Harmonisation topic Enabling Artificial Intelligence for Space System Applications lists coverage as Perception, Knowledge, Learning, Reasoning, Planning and Communication. It is not expected to cover the development of new AI applications and is not intended to perform fundamental research into AI. The Technology Harmonisation Dossier itself is behind ESA’s document-management login. We do not quote that locked file.

Space Force plan is strategy, not a cert standard

The USSF Data and AI FY2025 Strategic Action Plan is announced on the Space Force news page dated 19 March 2025. That page lists four lines of effort: Mature, enterprise-wide data and AI governance; Advance a data and AI-driven culture; Rapidly adopt data, advance analytics and AI technologies; and Strengthen government, academic, industry and international partnerships. No sentence on that news page calls the plan a certification standard or an airworthiness means of compliance.

Questions

Does NASA have a published means to prove safety-critical SI/ML?

Topic 7.25 says there is not a provable means to evaluate the SI/ML system and show that they meet the safety requirements, and that SI/ML for safety-critical or other high criticality application is not recommended.

Is AISSA a certification specification?

The public ESA pages describe a Technology Harmonisation Dossier that outlines R&D directions, reliability standards, and technology timelines. We found no public ESA sentence that calls AISSA a type-certification specification.

Is the Space Force FY2025 plan an AI assurance standard?

The news page presents it as a strategic action plan with four governance and adoption lines of effort. We found no official sentence that treats it as a product-assurance standard.

Why do live NASA handbook titles say Super Intelligence?

Executive Order 14434 directs executive-branch agencies, to the maximum extent permitted by law, to use “Super Intelligence” and “SI” in place of “Artificial Intelligence” and “AI” on websites and other non-statutory documents. We found no NASA sentence that names the Order. The Order does not require the alteration of previously issued regulations, Presidential actions, contracts, grants, or other historical documents. See Executive Order 14434: Super Intelligence (SI) terminology for aerospace and defense teams.