Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) is a management discipline which aims to align production volumes with an accurate sales forecast. Stakeholders work together to create a unified view of the market, and to predict demand by looking at data from ERP systems and other IT applications.
For many companies, S&OP means a weekly in-house meeting of sales, marketing, manufacturing and distribution to confirm the plan for next week. However, S&OP can grow to incorporate suppliers and distributors, and look at longer term and strategic topics.
Sampling is part of a statistical approach to quality control in production. It involves taking a measurement at regular or random intervals. The measurement can be the reading of a sensor which is built into a production machine, or it may involve taking a sample of material and diverting it to a testing station or laboratory to take measurements.
In the aerospace sector, a satellite means an artificial satellite, which is an object placed into orbit, usually around the Earth, by human endeavour. The majority are communication and navigation devices. Other important satellite categories are earth observation, weather, and astronomical instruments. The largest artificial satellite currently orbiting the Earth is the International Space Station.