Fostering Aerospace Collaboration: COOPERANTS' Initiative towards Continuous Integration of Component Models

Abstract

This paper introduces the pioneering efforts of the COOPERANTS initiative, aimed at fostering collaboration among industry, SMEs, and research institutions in the aerospace domain. Addressing critical hurdles in digital collaboration, COOPERANTS establishes a unified data ecosystem adhering to Gaia-X standards. Within the domain of Advanced Smart Services, the specific task, "Component Models for Continuous Integration and Verification," seeks to overhaul the digital exchange landscape between aerospace component manufacturers and system integrators. The absence of robust solutions enabling a seamless digital exchange for aerospace system development and integration has spurred COOPERANTS into action. While the European Space Agency (ESA) has initiated preliminary steps with Electronic Data Sheets (EDS) for components, a definitive standard remains elusive. COOPERANTS endeavors to fill this void by devising data structures and models, forming "Digital Twins," facilitating continuous exchange and integration of components across the development lifecycle. The core objective of this endeavor is to establish a systematic framework for generating and exchanging functional "Digital Twins" in data structure format. These twins enable the creation and configuration of equipment models crucial for onboard software development and validation. These software models, pivotal for numerical simulations spanning various developmental stages (MiL, SiL, HiL), contribute significantly to the holistic integration of the overarching system. The paper delineates the project's aims, underscoring the creation of a systematic groundwork for generating and exchanging functional "Digital Twins." These models provide vital insights into component behavior, accuracy, and potential error scenarios throughout the developmental continuum, markedly enhancing efficiency while mitigating project costs and risks. A pilot project with a component manufacturer showcases the successful integration of component models into the developmental cycle, validating the project's feasibility. The proposed solution entails defining requirements, establishing interfaces and data structures for model and model-data exchange, and implementing a generic interface for exchanging individual model components. The process culminates in the execution of a pilot project, followed by an assessment of outcomes to refine interfaces, data structures, processes, and tools. This paper offers a comprehensive overview of COOPERANTS' innovative stride and preliminary achievements, heralding a new era of collaborative and digitally integrated aerospace development.