This standard is applicable to spacecraft projects that opt to use the CAN Network for spacecraft on-board communications and control. It also defines the optional use of the CANopen standard as an application layer protocol operating in conjunction with the CAN Network data link layer.
This standard does not modify the basic CAN Network specification and complies with ISO 11898-1/-2:2003. This standard does define protocol extensions needed to meet spacecraft specific requirements.
This standard covers the vast majority of the on-board data bus requirements for a broad range of different mission types. However, there can be some cases where a mission has particularly constraining requirements that are not fully in line with those specified in this standard. In those cases this standard is still applicable as the basis for the use of CAN Network, especially for physical layer and redundancy management.