Objectives
- Modelling and Simulation
- Electrical Ground Support Equipment (EGSE)
- System Information Management
- Standards
Modelling and Simulation
Simulation is a key activity in support of the specification, design, verification and operations of space systems. System modelling and simulation can support a number of use cases across the spacecraft development life-cycle, including activities such as system design validation, software verification & validation, spacecraft unit and sub-system test activities, etc.
With steadily increasing adoption of modelling and simulation, significant benefits of a more consistent approach to simulation across project phases have been achieved. Effective use of modelling and simulation within the system engineering process is clearly desirable, to minimise the overall space programme schedule, risk and cost. In industrial facilities, simulation and test systems are more commonly used, and are capable of bridging multiple projects and phases. Furthermore, significant commonality exists between the infrastructure and models developed for each of these facilities. The following objectives have been identified:
- Maximise the benefits of using modelling and simulation in support of Systems Engineering
- Reduce effort in developing and maintaining simulators.
- Preserve investment in modelling a system, independently of the tools.
- Improve collaboration between involved teams and communities by addressing distribution and interoperability aspects.
- Facilitate and encourage reuse from phase to phase, project to project.
The contribution of M&S towards the overall objective of system development and verification leads increasingly to concepts of virtual products and “twins”. Their efficient development exploitation is of particular interest.
Electrical Ground Support Equipment (EGSE)
EGSE Systems are of fundamental importance in the infrastructure for space systems Manufacturing, Assembly, Integration and Test (M-AIT), as procured and used by the major Primes in space industry. But EGSE is equally indispensable for space SME and research establishments (e.g. scientific payload developers).
The relevance of software and simulation is significant in EGSE systems. Within the testing domain, simulation brings flexibility to the AIT planning and scheduling. An ongoing topic of interest is therefore how new information technology can be applied for the benefit of space systems AIT. Furthermore, EGSE features for Testing exhibit commonalities with Operations that can be (and partially already are being) beneficially exploited.
The ongoing development of the European Ground Systems Common Core (EGS-CC) prepares for the next generation EGSE and Mission Control systems, to be used by all stakeholders supporting all types of space missions. The objectives for future EGSE systems based on the Common Core are:
- to allow for interoperability of facilities between project phases and between programmes (institutional and/or commercial)
- ensure consistency between spacecraft checkout and mission operations (e.g. for data validation and data re-use)
- ensure consistency between instrument, platform and S/C testing across several companies and institutions
- reduce development, maintenance and operational costs and risks.
- support the competitiveness of European Industry when supplying end-to-end space systems
- allow small and medium enterprises ("SME’s") to operate in a product oriented market, supplying quality products within a standardised context.
The interest for SESP will be the future use of the Common Core, and the associated application developments.
Simulation Information Management
Information and data from the systems engineering process is increasingly captured, stored and maintained in digital form. The potential use and exchange of this data between disciplines, stakeholders and different phases along the life-cycle of a product open the possibility to improve completeness and consistency at system level. This consequently requires an increased effort to ensure the links and traces between different types of data and information, as well as the possibility to access and exchange this information in an unambiguous way.
As modelling and simulation facilities are becoming increasingly important for the overall system design and verification process, there is a growing need for the associated data repositories to store, retrieve and maintain the corresponding information adequately. Potential standards can form the basis for the specification on functional and data level in order to achieve semantic and functional interoperability between the different users of the data.
The objectives for System Information Management are:
- support Model Based System Engineering (MBSE)
- improve interoperability based on a common data model
- improve re-use
- improve configurability and flexibility
- improve consistency
- separating functionality and data, allowing different views and manipulation
Standards
Development of ECSS standards is an activity in which not only Space Agencies but also Industry is very much involved, both in terms of influencing the subjects to be standardised as well as participating to the development of standards. Related international standards could open markets for suppliers, and enhances coherence across European projects.
Examples of standards relevant to the SESP domains include:
- SMP (Simulation Model Portability)
- FMI (Functional Mockup Interface)
- SysML (System Modelling Language)
- EDS (Electronic Data Sheet)
- ORM (Object Role Modeling)
- There are also areas where no standards exist yet, but where the need has been identified – such as: Reference Architectures, Process Standards, etc.
The related objectives within SESP are to discuss the lessons learned from applying standards in space projects, to identify the problem issues, propose areas of improvement, and to discuss ways forward for future standardization.
