Model-driven environment for configuration control and deployment of on-board satellite software

Abstract This paper describes a model-driven environment for configuration control and deployment of on-board satellite software. The solution enables platform-aware software development through the use of modelling artefacts provided by a framework called MICOBS. The paper describes the proposed platform model, as well as the supporting models needed to control the configuration of on-board software. The solution allows managing the models of on-board software projects in such a way that several alternatives for deploying and configuring the packages can be defined. The configuration control during validation and deployment of the on-board software of the control unit of the Energetic Particle Detector instrument on-board Solar Orbiter is presented as a use case. The example shows the versatility of the proposed approach in managing the deployment of software on the different boards resulting from the model philosophy of the space projects, as well as on any possible simulation environments used for software validation. Finally, it is noteworthy to highlight that this approach can also be used in software projects that were not initially following a model-driven paradigm, and that its adoption facilitates the configuration control of reusable software on new platforms adopted in new space missions.