What is MBSE Model Based Systems Engineering?
MODEL BASES SYSTEMS ENGINEERING uses modelling techniques to look at the space system as a whole, with all of the subsystems and individual parts considered while they are all worked on separately by specialist teams
ESA is supporting the introduction of MBSE with the MB4SE and OSMOSE working groups where, together with industry and national agencies, coordination on the MBSE process and associated tools is promoted.
A number of initiatives have been carried out or are on-going both on the side of industry and in the frame of ESA’s R&D programmes to introduce and coordinate MBSE across European space industry. It has been proposed to federate these initiatives under the common Model Based for System Engineering (MB4SE) initiative.
THE MB4SE ADVISORY GROUP
The MB4SE initiative is a platform where technical discussions can take place and key recommendations can be made by the stakeholders towards the materialisation of the space system and model hub.
The MB4SE Advisory Group, created in 2019, was established to steer technical discussions and will also ensure the governance of the conceptual data model. It is composed of Large Scale Integrators (Airbus, Arianegroup, Thales, OHB) and Space Agencies (ESA, CNES, DLR, ASI, UKSA) and Eumetsat.
THE OSMOSE WORKING GROUP
The OSMoSE working group (Overall Semantic Modelling for System Engineering) is focusing more on the ontology technology. It plays the role of Design Authority in the governance of the ontology. A first workshop in June 2019 brought together the community to exchange on the merits of various technology and start to discuss the governance of the ontology development.
End 2019-early 2020, a call for ideas on MBSE, fully coordinated with the other initiatives, was published on ESA’s Open Space Innovation Platform (OSIP). This OSIP MB4SE campaign has raised substantial interest, and received 83 ideas, out of which four studies and 12 early technology developments are being initiated with a budget of €2.5 million.