Specification Technique for Virtual Testbeds in Space Robotics

Systems Development for Space Missions is an engineering challenge that requires a highly integrated systems design approach. Multidisciplinary dependencies, project size, technology novelty, and diverse operational environment conditions increase overall systems complexity. Therefore, systematic validation and verification techniques that consider environmental and operational conditions are crucial for mission success. However, verification and validation of system requirements is hard to achieve under real conditions since physical prototyping tests in space environment are hardly possible. Virtual Testbeds are a promising approach for the early identification of technical risks by simulating the overall system with approximate real conditions, and thus, increase the overall engineering efficiency. They enable early feasibility studies and virtual commissioning of the system during integration phase. The application of virtual testbeds requires not only a formal specification of the System Under Development (SUD) but also a formal Specification Technique for Validation and Verification (V&V). However, existing MBSE approaches provide only poor concepts for a holistic specification of system Test Cases and Virtual Testbeds. In this paper, we propose an integrated Model-Based Specification Technique that facilitates an integrated specification of the system and relevant V&V aspects. We first analyze existing norms like VDI 2206 and ECSS-Std. in order to identify relevant V&V aspects. Second, we describe a specification approach for Virtual Testbeds. Third, we present a modeling language for the specification of those aspects. Finally, we apply the presented technique on an example from the space robotics domain. Our findings show that the presented technique helps to capture relevant V&V aspects according to the existing norms in the space robotics domain. However it is not limited to space and can easily be used for industrial and other complex mechatronic systems.