Systems Engineering
How do you go about carrying out a good idea? You probably consider all the possible ways of doing it, compare their costs against the chances of getting what you want, then pick the best solution and decide who does what. The same thing happens for space projects and this is the role of Systems Engineering.
There are many people who have good ideas about future space missions: scientists and academia for example, but also people who work in European research centres, industries or user communities.
The ESA experts working for Systems Engineering evaluate all the ways of carrying out these ideas (‘missions’). Software tools are a very powerful way of simulating the various alternatives: what orbit? what power sources? What instruments on board, and therefore what size? And so on. At ESTEC, the Concurrent Design Facility (CDF), is a unique place in Europe where engineers from all the various disciplines can work in parallel, to assess and simulate the technical and financial feasibility of future space missions and new spacecraft concepts.
Software is important for systems engineering for another reason. In recent years there has been an evolution of space projects towards a higher integration of electronics, complemented with the intelligence and flexibility that software provides. On-board computers use software for example to give very versatile instructions to the satellite instruments or navigation system in order to adapt to the needs at a given moment. In other words: software is everywhere, affecting all domains. For this reason, software at ESA is seen as a part of systems engineering, rather than a subset of electric systems.
As well as concurrent engineering and software systems, Systems Engineering includes a number of other disciplines that affect all aspecst of space project, such as like cost engineering and coordination of project reviews according to a set of standard procedures and with the relevant expertise across the organisation.
Finally, Systems Engineering also deals with the promotion and implementation of in-orbit demonstration of technologies and technology for microsatellites like Proba-2.
Systems Engineering covers a number of disciplines, including:
- Software systems
- Concurrent Design
- Cost Engineering
- Project Reviews
- Technology demonstration projects like Proba
