A bottoms-up approach to reliability estimation at the Thirty Meter Telescope International Observatory

Reliability prediction in the realm of ground-based astronomy is a relatively new but highly beneficial application of reliability estimation techniques. As observatories grow in scale and complexity, reliability becomes an increasingly important feature, and a metric of system performance. At the Thirty Meter Telescope International Observatory, observing time is key to leveraging the science capabilities of the telescopes and instruments, hence maximizing the availability of all subsystems via measurable reliability information is extremely valuable. We present an analysis method that removes the barriers to completing a bottoms up reliability estimate for any opto-mechanical or electrical subsystem, and connection of the reliability estimates to FMEA and critical spares analysis.