Exploratory testing is a type of testing that emphasizes the personal freedom and responsibility of the individual tester to continually optimize the quality of his/her work by treating test-related learning, test design, test execution, and test result interpretation as mutually supportive activities that run in parallel throughout the project. While exploratory testing can be highly effective in certain contexts, for safety-critical systems, it is generally not recommended. Safety-critical systems require a high degree of assurance and predictability that each component of the system behaves as expected under all circumstances. Manual black-box tests, which are more structured and can be thoroughly planned and documented, are preferred in these scenarios to ensure comprehensive coverage and traceability.
References = The ISTQB Advanced Level Agile Technical Tester syllabus and training materials provide guidance on the appropriate use of different testing techniques in various contexts, including the recommendation of structured manual black-box testing over exploratory testing for safety-critical systems1234.