The NASA Program/Project Life Cycle Process Flow diagram shows the key phases and gates of a typical NASA program from initial concept through operations and disposal.
The diagram depicts the iterative nature of refining requirements and concepts through various reviews at each phase, including the Mission Concept Review, Mission Definition Review, Preliminary Design Review, Critical Design Review, and System Acceptance Review. It also shows the major products and documentation developed at each phase to mature the design from a functional baseline to a build-to specification.