The first standard for explosively actuated devices on space vehicles appeared in 1987. The document, DOD-E-83578, was written by Aerospace based on an internal specification from a contractor. It incorporated many of the test and design requirements that had been developed by the Army and Navy for explosive initiators, detonators, and safe-arm devices, but also stressed the verification of performance margins and margins of safety at all interfaces between components of the ordnance systems. These specifications were made into a military handbook.
In 2005, a team led by Aerospace published a new standard, AIAA-S-113(2005), Criteria for Explosive Systems and Devices Used on Space and Launch Vehicles. This standard was written at the request of the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center as part of an effort to reintroduce standards for the design, manufacture, and testing of space hardware. Aerospace chaired this new standard-writing team, which included representatives from NASA, the Army, the Navy, the Missile Defense Agency, contractors, and major ordnance suppliers. The team took advantage of this opportunity to include new technology advancements that affect both design and test measurement approaches.