Small Spacecraft Software Modeling: A Petri Net-Based Approach

Software design and development often presents a high-risk element during the execution of engineering projects due to the difficulty of identifying defects during late stages of development. Many defects identified during the late stages of small spacecraft development can be avoided by constructing interactive, dynamic models. This process is often followed for hardware fabrication/testing but often not to the same extent for software. An alternative to the typical software development process is needed that enables modeling and simulation feedback at early design stages. Petri nets allow for software visualization, simulation, and verification in a cost-effective way. An alternative software modeling approach using Petri nets is presented to rapidly design, develop, and verify/validate small spacecraft software. Using the presented techniques, the Missouri University of Science and Technology Satellite Research Team successfully demonstrated core functionality of their software system with their Missou...