SparxSystems Europe: ESA uses Enterprise Architect for reverse engineering
In a detailed article on his blog Systems Engineering Trends, Michael Jastram reports on an MBSE reverse engineering project with Enterprise Architect at the European Space Agency (ESA).
On behalf of ESA, the German GPP modelled a finished satellite in a reverse engineering process with Enterprise Architect. The latest methods of ‘Model-based System Engineering’ (MBSE) and the SysML modelling language were used. This approach enabled the complex system to be fully modelled, and the model also serves as the basis for the next mission. Peter Gersing from GPP presented this project in his keynote speech at MESCONF 2023.
The team’s conclusion is:
Reverse engineering is an excellent approach for introducing MBSE and gaining a holistic understanding of the developed system
Diagrams of the model enable quick reviews with the experts for maximum knowledge transfer
Reusing the model provides a head start for the next mission and makes it possible to optimise instead of starting from scratch.
