Duration: 5 months
In recent years, the space industry has increasingly adopted Concurrent Engineering (CE) and Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), usually as stand-alone, to manage complexity, improve collaboration, and accelerate the design of space systems. CE, particularly as implemented in the ESA's Concurrent Design Facility (CDF), provides a structured and collaborative environment for rapid early-phase mission development. It enables real-time decision-making and multidisciplinary coordination that significantly reduces turnaround time during Phase 0/A/B studies. While CE inherently enhances efficiency through real-time iteration with domain experts as well as managers and stakeholders, its design process can still benefit from the traceability, consistency, and digital continuity offered by MBSE. MBSE, with its model-centric paradigm, supports systems-level thinking, enables formalization of requirements, and provides a digital thread across the mission lifecycle. However, MBSE methods can become rigid and time-consuming when applied in fast-paced CE environments without appropriate adaptation. Furthermore, neither CE nor traditional MBSE practices fully incorporate Design for Testability (DFT) principles at the early phases of system design, an omission that can introduce schedule delays, verification risks, and cost inefficiencies later. This research proposes the development and validation of a harmonized CE-MBSE methodology that integrates DFT principles within ESA’s existing CE infrastructure, particularly its COMET toolchain. The objective is to create a unified framework that maintains the agility of CE while embedding the formalism of MBSE and ensuring that testability and verification considerations are natively addressed from the beginning of the mission design. By leveraging ESA's expertise, infrastructures, and ongoing digitalization efforts, this research has the potential to significantly enhance efficiency, consistency and reliability of space missions.
