MBSE for Space Systems Design with Capella: From Simulation Facilities to NEO Detection

This webinar presents two projects from the University of Antioquia that apply a Model-Based Systems Engineering approach to space system development with Capella. Together, they illustrate how MBSE can support early design decisions, structure complex architectures and improve confidence in the feasibility of ambitious space missions.

1) MBSE Used for design and development of a PoC for a space simulation Vacuum Chamber

By Paula Andrea García Suárez (Universidad de Antioquia)

This webinar presents the design and development process of a Proof Of Concept (PoC) for a modular vacuum chamber intended to simulate space-like conditions. The project is supported by Orbital Mining Corporation and is aligned with their vision and mission. The project was built under a Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) approach. The Capella tool and the Arcadia methodology were used to clearly structure the operational, functional and physical architectures of the system.
The vacuum chamber is intended to be versatile and to support space simulations. Throughout the development, requirements were stipulated and modeled, and a preliminary cost estimate was performed to analyze the feasibility of such a design. The result is a robust, flexible and scalable technical model that will serve as a basis for future work.

2) A MBSE Approach to the Development of a Space-Based Observatory for NEO Detection

By Juan Felipe Ríos (Universidad de Antioquia)

Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) are asteroids or comets whose orbits bring them within 1.3 AU of the Sun, sometimes crossing Earth’s path and potentially posing an impact risk. Detecting these objects is not always easy, many are very small to be spotted early, and those coming from the Sun’s direction are almost undetectable to ground-based telescopes. This project addresses that challenge by proposing the conceptual design of a space-based observatory aimed at detecting and tracking NEOs that are hard or impossible to see from Earth.
This work applies a Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) approach, using Capella to model the operational concept, define requirements, and progressively build the functional, logical, and physical architectures of the observatory. Capella makes it possible to keep all these steps connected and traceable, which helps optimize the design of a complex system like the proposed observatory.
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