Validation Methodology of Hardware Simulators for Spacecraft System Testing

The multi-mission system architecture platform (MSAP) test bed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory is an integral part of the MSAP Project and provides a hardware-in-the-loop simulation of the developed in-house product line. The goal of the MSAP Project itself is to develop and demonstrate reusable and evolvable core architecture for JPL in-house missions. The MSAP project develops the processes, products, and documentation for the software, hardware, and test environment for the implementation of the architecture. With minimal modifications this architecture will then be easily adaptable to future missions. The overall success of the MSAP Project has been largely due to its hardware-in-the-loop simulation and its rigorous test program. Due to the flight hardware costs, it is desirable to model in software the mission specific hardware that comprises a functional spacecraft. Eventually a library of flight hardware simulations will be accumulated making it possible to build up future mission test beds or to morph the test environment to mimic existing missions for anomaly investigation and problem resolution. This paper will focus on the methodology used to certify the hardware simulations that compose the MSAP test bed.