Empowering a Digital Frontier with Model Based System Engineering
Digital engineering is a key component to ESA’s Agenda 2025 and Technology Strategy. Model Based System Engineering (MBSE) is a cornerstone of this endeavour, exploitation the benefits of engineering data across different disciplines, mission phases, organisations, and modelling tools.
ESA continues its development in MBSE through two of its technology R&D programmes – Technology Development Element and the General Support Technology Programme – where MBSE activities and related topics were included as a key topic in the Technology Development Element Work Plan 2023-2024 and GSTP Element 1 ‘Develop’ Compendia 2022. The activities, proposed to Participating Member States, seeks to capitalise on the ongoing investment already made by European industry to further develop the MBSE ecosystem, with a focus on digitalisation, artificial intelligence, and generic technology.
Key topics include:
- Space system ontology
- Engineering data hub
- Interface management
- User interaction and platform execution
- Artificial intelligence digital assistance
- End-to-end digital continuity
- Integrated web-based digital engineering framework software
- Advanced Data Handling Architecture
- Natural language processing
As more ESA activities, projects and missions become digital, there will be an ever increasing need to adopt an integrated MBSE approach. This is known as space system ontology. Ontology provides a common semantic method for the open interoperability between different MBSE tools, models and the general exchange of data that are used extensively by industry and ESA. The development of the Engineering Data Hub is one step forward in providing a sustainable MBSE ecosystem. The latest approach to space system ontology is combined with a standard platform for the reliable exchange of multi-disciplinary data – providing an immersive design environment leading away from the traditional system engineering approach to a fully integrated MBSE philosophy.
