Executable Modeling of a CubeSat-Based Space Situational Awareness System

As systems grow in complexity, systems engineers have embraced Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) to tackle this complexity. The Systems Modeling Language (SysML) is the most commonly used language by the systems engineers to implement MBSE. SysML is not highly capable of expressing conceptual but not executable models. In order to perform requirements/behavior verifications, systems engineers/designers mostly use separate simulation tools. Hence, the efficiency of the systems engineering process is often reduced due to the isolated and consecutive use of both SysML modeling tool and other simulation tools, for example, defining simulation inputs to each simulation tool separately. Hence, executable SysML is the next logical step towards achieving true MBSE support for all systems engineering activities in the life cycle phases - system requirements, analysis, design, implementation, integration, verification, transition, validation, acceptance testing, training, and maintenance. Therefore, various research efforts are being conducted to develop executable SysML modeling approaches. This research develops a SysML Executable Modeling Methodology (SEMM), which is demonstrated by modeling a CubeS at-based Space Situational Awareness (SSA) system in SysML. The SysML SSA-CubeSat system model is made executable by integrating with Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) simulation software, namely, Systems Tool Kit (STK) and MATLAB, following the approaches defined in the SEMM.