Satellite Systems Software
Col. John Keesee
MIT Dept. of Aero/Astro
19 October 2003
Outline
? Definitions
? Software design process
? Design rules
? Software costing
Space System Software
Spacecraft computer systems and their
software provide unprecedented capability
on orbit, but drive system cost and
complexity
Computer System Definitions
? Embedded System
– Built-in processor providing real time control
? Real-Time processing
– Handling or processing data at the time events
occur
? Hard Real-Time
– Precise timing required to avoid severe
consequences
Computer System Definitions
? Soft Real-Time
– Tasks must be completed in a timely manner,
but missing a time boundary has minor
consequences
? Operating System Software
– Manages the computer’s resources (e.g. I/O,
memory)
? Application Software
– Mission-specific software related to the user
instead of the support of the computer
Types Of Software
Application Software: Operating System Software:
? Higher level functions that are ?Low level functions that
provided to meet mission bridge application software
requirements. to processing hardware.
– Communications - Executive or run-time control
– Attitude and Orbit - Kernel functions
Determination and Control - Input/Output (I/O) device handlers
– Navigation - Built in Test (BIT)
– Autonomy - Math Utilities
– Fault Detection
– Mission Management
– Payload Management
? Continues to increase as ?Usually will not increase
requirements “creep” and after CDR.
problems are encountered.
Computer Resource Estimation
? Define processing tasks
– Application software
PDR - Operating system functions
? Estimate software size and throughput
? Establish a cost for spacecraft software
? Evaluate development and test requirements
? Create funding profile for development and test computers and
equipment.
? Identify life-cycle support costs
– On-orbit operations and support
CDR - Upgrades, enhancements, modifications, sequence verification
? Combine resource/asset estimations to include all costs
Computer Resource Estimation
Functional Partitioning
? Between Space and Ground
– Timing -Bandwidth
– Autonomy -Human Interaction
? Between Hardware and Software
– Performance -Complexity
– Well-Defined Requirements -No Changes
? Between Bus and Payload
– Duration -Quantity
– Performance
? Alone Organizational Lines
– Large Organizations -Small Team
– Complexity -Accountability
Computer Systems Development
Process
? Define requirements
– Perform functional partitioning
? Allocate top-level computer requirements
– Candidate Architechtures
– Functional flow analysis
? Define computer system requirements
– Define tasks
– Establish size and throughput estimates
? Define development and support environment
? Document and iterate
Software Engineering Tasks
?Analysis
? Requirements
?Design
? Coding
? Testing and
integration
?Installation and
delivery
?Documentation
?Maintenance
?Quality Assurance
?Training
Software Development
Environment
? Target processor engineering unit(s) for software CSC
integration and test.
? Work stations for all developers with centralized host for
configuration management and compilation.
? Cross compiler to target processor resident on host.
? Test support equipment and associated support software.
? Realistic I/O, associated device drivers and functional
simulations, resident on host.
Software Test
? Usually begins with the lowest Computer
Project Configuration Item and works up
– Test scenarios built on the same pattern
? Increasing confidence in system
performance
? Testing is a very complex activity
– Often requires up to one half the development
cost and a significant portion of the support cost
Software Integration
? Ensures all modules/classes work together
? Ensures the program works with other
software packages
? Three types of integration
– Big Bang (COTS)
– Bottom-up (Drivers)
– Top-down (Functional stubs)
Software Maintenance
? Critical to maintain a highly effective team
for the life of the space system
? Software updates on orbit possible and
likely
? Ground-based, high fidelity simulator is
important for critical space systems
Life-cycle Support
? Launch and Early Orbit Support
– Is the spacecraft where it is supposed to be and operating as expected?
? Trouble-Shooting: Parameter or Code Changes
– If a problem occurs: Why? How? When?
– Review data to understand
– Develop work-around
– Change parameters or upload new software
? Data Retrieval, Reduction, and Analysis
– Housekeeping and status information
– Payload and/or science data
Memory and Throughput Margin
Requirements
? At SRR, size hardware to be four times the
estimated requirement
? Reserve a full 100% margin (i.e., twice the
delivered size and speed) at launch
Software Reliability Measures
? Watchdog timers ensure system restarts
automatically if the processor stalls
? Operating system manages “Stuck” memory
bits and Single Event Upsets
? High reliability systems maintain backup
software images
Sixteen Critical Software
Practices
? Project Integrity
1. Adopt continuous program risk assessment
2. Estimate cost and schedule empirically
3. Use metrics to manage
4. Track earned value
5. Track defects against quality targets
6. Treat people as the most important resource
Sixteen Critical Software
Practices
? Construction Integrity
7. Adopt life cycle configuration management
8. Manage and trace requirements
9. Use system-based software design
10. Ensure data and database interoperability
11. Define and control interfaces
12. Design twice, code once
13. Assess reuse risks and costs
Sixteen Critical Software
Practices
? Product Stability and Integrity
14. Inspect requirements and design
15. Manage testing as a continuous process
16. Compile and smoke test frequently
Spacecraft Software Costing
SMAD Chapter 20 Engineering Estimates
? Costs - - (FY00$) ? Costs - - estimate hours
– Flight Software -Flight Software (QA)
$435 * lines of code 6 hours / line of code
– Ground Software -Ground Software
$220 * lines of code 3 hours / line of code
? Fee not included ? Dollar estimates calculated
from hours
? Language dependent (but ? Amount of testing and
should be tailored based on Quality Assurance support
personnel experience and reuse) influence costs
– Ada as baseline
FIRESAT Example: Overview
? Three axis stabilized vehicle
? MIL-STD-1750A processor / Ada
? Spacecraft Bus Functions:
– ACS: 5200 SLOCs - - Earth sensor, Sun Sensor, rate gyros, reaction-
control thrusters, kinematic integration, ephemeris propagation, error
determination.
– C & DH: 725 SLOCs - - Command and telemetry processing
– Other: 500 SLOCs - - Power management, thermal control
? Fire Detection using remote IR sensor
? Payload Functions:
– Fire Detection: 666 SLOCs - - sensor processing
– Fire Reporting: 205 SLOCs - - data reduction and transmission
FIRESAT Example:
Cost Elements
SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT EQUIPMENT
? Nearly 8,000 SLOC for ?Estimate 4 Engineering Units
on-board software (MIL-STD-1750)
? Estimate at least 24,000 ? MIL-STD-1750 compiler
SLOC in avionics and run-time kernel
simulation software ? Main Frame Computer
? Estimate at least 8,000 and workstations (10)
SLOC in data collection ? Compiler(s), GUI builder
and reduction software and CM Tools
? Ground station interface ? I/O cards, card cage, and
and simulation software drives
FIRESAT Example: Costing
? On-Board Software Development $3.48M
– 8,000 SLOC * $435/SLOC
? Support Software Development $7.04M
– 32,000 SLOC * $220/SLOC
? Software Support Equipment $1.00M
– Main Frame ($200K) / Workstations and S/W (10 * $20K)
– Engineering Units (4 * $100K)
– Cross Compiler ($150K) / Run-Time Kernel ($40K)
? Test Support Equipment $0.35M
– Compilers (2 * $50K) / GUI ($50K) / CM ($50K)
– I/O Cage (2 * $15K) / Cards (6 * $15K) / Drivers (3 * $10K)
? TOTAL COSTS: $11, 870,000.00
Application Software Size
Estimates
? SMAD Table 16-13, page 665, is based on
16-bit words, a 1750A class instruction set
architecture, and a higher order language
– Communications
– Attitude Sensor Processing
– Attitude determination and control
– Autonomy
– Fault Detection
– Other functions (power management, thermal
control)
Operating System Software
Sizing Estimates
? SMAD table 16-15, page 667, is based on
similar systems—16-bit words and a 1750A
class instruction set architecture
– Executive
– Run-time kernel
– I/O device handlers
– Built-in test and diagnostics
– Math utilities
COCOMO
? Developed by B. Boehm (Software
Engineering Economics, Prentice Hall,
1981)
? Computes the amount of effort and time to
complete a software project
– Breaks project into WBS elements
– Requires estimate of the new lines of code
required to complete each requirement
Basic COCOMO Formula
E=a
b
* K * exp(b
b
) (person-months of effort)
D=c
b
* E * exp(d
b
) (duration in months)
Where K is the total number of lines of code.
Software Project Type a
b
b
b
c
b
d
b
Small project, experienced team,
flexible requirements (“organic”)
2.4 1.05 2.5 0.38
Hard real-time requirements and strict
interoperability (“embedded”)
3.6 1.2 2.5 0.32
A mixture of the two other types of
projects (“intermediate”)
3.0 1.12 2.5 0.35
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/bu2
http://sunset.usc.edu/research/COCOMOII/index.html
Conclusion
References
? Wertz, James R. and Wiley J. Larson, Space
Mission Analysis and Design, Microcosm
Press, Torrance CA, 1999
? Leach, Ronald J., Introduction to Software
Engineering, CRC Press, New York NY,
2000