Design and Implementation of an Event-oriented Simulation in a Distributed System for Automated Testing of On-board Software

Abstract

Before launching spacecrafts, the on-board software (OBSW) and the communication of the on-board computer (OBC) with the subsystems must be tested to identify and correct possible errors in the software. Therefore, simulation environments are increasingly used in the development, verification and test phases. This allows the OBSW to be verified independently of the hardware or even before the avionics of the satellite is available. The aim of this paper is to present the design and implementation of a simulator for automated testing of OBSW and the data exchange between the satellite components. A key requirement for the design is, to run the simulated avionics on different clients. This allows distributing the processor load and adding real hardware to the simulation at later development stages, making hardware-in-the-loop verification possible. The simulator can also save and load simulation states, which can be used to define mission scenarios and restore a simulation state at a later time.