INTRODUCING VSD PROJECT

Virtual Spacecraft Design (VSD) is a project that aims at enabling the Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) methodology for space system projects. The developer access level provides access to the extra:

1. VSD Tools Source Code
2. Data Core Source Code

The developer access is licensed under the ESA SW Community License Type 2 "Weak Copyleft". This license regulates the access to all VSD software as well as the requirements for modifying the VSD source code. It basically mandates that if any modifications to the VSD software (i.e. source code) are distributed, they have to be distributed and licensed by the same license; however a number of exceptions apply, allowing certain types of Modifications to be distributed under different licensing terms

MBSE

Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) is a recent paradigm in systems engineering that uses computer models to enhance the SE process where the system is described by a set of integrated computer models instead of being described by documents as is the case in classical systems engineering.
The benefits of this methodology are:

Traceability along the life cycle
Consistency between the different views of the different disciplines
Easier concurrent collaboration of different actors
Enabling of automated transfer of information from and to domain specific tools.

As space systems become increasingly complex, the application of the MBSE methodology in the space industry is seen as necessary to avoid the costs and time to completion to increase significantly.

VSEE Toolset

In the frame of the VSD project, a set of software tools has been produced as prototypes for the deployment of MBSE applied to space systems.
The VSEE Toolset is composed of:

SSDE: the model editor
SSVT: a tool for the visualization of the models.
SSRDB: a tool for the management of the repository that supports concurrent work on the datamodel.