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The complexity of space endeavors has increased the need for Knowledge Management (KM) tools. The concept of KM involves not only the electronic storage of knowledge, but also the process of making this knowledge available, reusable and traceable. Establishing a KM concept within the Concurrent Engineering Facility (CEF) has been a research topic of the German Aerospace Centre (DLR). This paper presents the current KM tools of the CEF: the Software Platform for Organizing and Capturing Knowledge (S.P.O.C.K.), the data model Virtual Satellite (VirSat), and the Simulation Model Library (SimMoLib), and how their usage improved the Concurrent Engineering (CE) process. This paper also exposes the lessons learned from the introduction of KM practices into the CEF and elaborates a roadmap for the further development of KM in CE activities at DLR. The results of the application of the Knowledge Management tools have shown the potential of merging the three software platforms with their functionalities, as the next step towards the fully integration of KM practices into the CE process.VirSat will stay as the main software platform used within a CE study, and S.P.O.C.K. and SimMoLib will be integrated into VirSat. These tools will support the data model as a reference and documentation source, and as an access to simulation and calculation models.The use of KM tools in the CEF aims to become a basic practice during the CE process. The settlement of this practice will result in a much more extended knowledge and experience exchange within the Concurrent Engineering environment and, consequently, the outcome of the studies will comprise higher quality in the design of space systems.

The development of space systems involves complex interdisciplinary systems engineering. To manage such complexity, simulation and calculation models are becoming an integral part of it, where different domain-specific models (power, thermal, structure, propulsion, communication, etc.) are developed using different tools. Every domain model contains valuable knowledge of a respective discipline. However, creating such models takes an ample amount of time and efforts. Therefore, a common management for these models is needed to preserve the knowledge and to reuse them in future space missions. The project Simulation Model Library (SimMoLib) at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) develops guidelines and best practices regarding model development, model documentation, validation and verification, as well as model reviews to establish a collection of reusable models. To efficiently catalog the models, an innovative software system is created to support collaborative development, submission, archiving, review, search, and utilization of models. In SimMoLib, a model linking concept has been developed and implemented to enhance the model search and their probable reuse. Along with regular keyword-based search, a direct and an indirect linking between the models in the library has been implemented. Therefore, the model linking increases the visibility and consequently promotes the reuse of single and interdependent models within the library. The paper further describes different types of model relationships, categories, hierarchical levels of model development, implementation and presentation of model linking in detail.

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