Systematic reuse and platforming: Application examples for enhancing reuse with model-based systems engineering methods in space systems development

Despite popular belief, space missions are not always one-of-a-kind, but are frequently benefiting from explicit or implicit reuse of different types. The Venus Express mission is one example of cost savings by reusing existing hardware in a new mission context. Other examples are based on the platform approach, popular, for example, in geostationary telecommunication satellites, which benefits from a pre-planned reuse and its application to a family of missions with commonality. While the latter is handled more strategically, promising more gain in its execution, the Venus Express example is more of an ad hoc nature. Given the increasing importance of design reuse, the practical question to be answered in this article is how to promote it using effective engineering methods and processes. Model-based systems engineering often advertises itself as especially beneficial to reuse projects and we provide a systematic review of the respective capabilities in this article. Furthermore, we describe two reuse application examples: an asteroid nanolander based on the Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout lander currently flying onboard Hayabusa2 and a Small Satellite Platform for Earth science missions. With Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout’s heritage generating strong interest for future small body missions, this creates a case for what we call ad hoc reuse. Conversely, the Small Satellite Technology Platform, which is currently in its definition phase, can be classified as systematic reuse case with the aim of developing a commonality-based small satellite family, suitable for a set of rapidly recurring missions in low Earth orbit. Our study of the Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout-2 reuse case has provided insights into reuse requirements, which are mapped to typical model-based systems engineering features that create value beyond those offered by classical approaches. The article identifies key areas where model-based systems engineering provides benefits in reuse cases: requirements reuse, system context analysis as well as interface compatibility checking. It further outlines an overall approach regarding tools and development processes.