In addition to an electronic component base with the known reliability indicators, rocket and space products often contain structures and devices with the unknown reliability indicators of their components and elements. To justify and control reliability of such products, it is most often impractical or impossible to develop the reliability indicators based on the statistical reliability rules. Reliability confirmation and control of products containing components and elements with the unknown reliability indicators could be performed only by changing approaches to understanding the reliability. The paper considers various aspects of reliability: terminological, engineering, economic and management. It shows that reliability of products containing components and elements with the unknown indicators could only be ensured by the designer decisions and actions based on knowledge, experience, qualifications, competencies and common sense. Product reliability control is introduced in two stages. At the life cycle early stage, design decisions are confirmed using analysis based on the established design reserves (redundancy, performance reserves, use of organizational and technical methods that exclude failures, ensure procedures for obtaining the guaranteed results) taking into account the worst cases of manufacture, operation modes and conditions (for example, using the reliability design and technological analysis). At the final stage, the product is experimentally tested to confirm reliability of the design analysis results.

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