Interactions in space systems design within a Concurrent Engineering facility

Abstract

Concurrent Engineering (CE) in the space sector is an effective collaborative development approach for space mission architectures or system design. It involves each appropriate discipline and follows a structured process which guides the team through the early phases of the product life-cycle. Furthermore, integrated design models and domain specific tools support the engineers in generating and exchanging design parameters. As is often misunderstood, Concurrent Engineering is not a design optimization performed by advanced software, but is a team effort where the product development is supported by tools but decisions still made by people. During feasibility studies of space craft design within the "Concurrent Engineering Facility (CEF)" of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) there is a certain set-up of domains each dealing with their respective hard-and software tools. Within the present paper the cases of human-to-human and human-to-machine interaction during the iterative design process is discussed. The focus is set on the interaction between and within the different parties during both the plenary and off-line design sessions. The importance of guided communication and the value of specific and common tool utilization is pointed out. Furthermore, the challenges, constraints, potential improvements and stumbling blocks are identified when dealing with a heterogeneous team of experts in such early design phases.

A process model for concurrent conceptual design of space systems

“…The process of concurrent conceptual design is often referred to follow a spiral development approach 6,7,19 . Following the spiral model, all aspects of the system are revised during each iteration.…”

“…Models of the process in the form of diagrams have been very rare until recently. A high‐level description of the the process of a concurrent design study, divides it into a set of phases: initiation and preparation, study phase (consisting of concurrent design sessions), and a post processing phase 19 . At JPL the conceptual design has been embedded into the larger system lifecycle, and the state of development is described by concept maturity levels 20,21 .…”

“…Organizing a concurrent design study requires planning of the activities, people, and infrastructure. Based on the work at DLR describing their approach of a condensed 1‐week concurrent design study, 19 we derived our similarly compact schedule (Table 1). By the term “CD session”, we mean a period of time where the whole team meets in the Concurrent Design Facility for collaborative work.…”

Agile methodologies applied to Integrated Concurrent Engineering for spacecraft design

“…According to the definition adopted by ESA, CE is "a systematic approach to integrate product development that emphasizes the response to customer expectations. It embodies team values of cooperation, trust, and sharing in such a manner that decision making is by consensus, involving all perspectives in parallel, from the beginning of the product life-cycle" [16]. CE has established itself as a methodology of great importance in all areas of engineering, its application being studied in other areas such as manufacturing or quality [17].…”

“…Although it has a large number of followers [16,18], CE has not yet been fully implemented in the industry (except in large companies/agencies such as ESA [19] or NASA [20,21]). However, CE has proven to be a very useful tool in the universities [22], as the requirements of the academic environment include aspects that are shared with CE, such as teamwork or design sessions concentrated in a short period.…”