Model-Based CubeSat Flight-Software Architecture using a Docs-as-Code approach

Abstract

With the growing community of CubeSat developers has emerged a need for a technical approach that would provide a means of fast-tracking the lifecycle development process of CubeSats, including the need to minimize design and development time repeating prior engineering efforts. In addition to a technical approach, there is also the need for a language and toolchain with a demand for both minimal training and minimal IT overhead to configure. A model-based approach has become a topic of interest in addressing much of these systems engineering painpoints. However, the current state-of-the-art tools demand either considerable investment in training and/or IT overhead, making it difficult for CubeSat developers of small startups or academia to participate. This article presents a model-based technical approach in conjunction with a docs-as-code approach, used to fascilitate flight software architecture development, intended to guide an implementation, for the SeaLion CubeSat mission - a joint CubeSat mission between the Old Dominion University and Coast Guard Academy. The technical approach discussed in this paper was also used to model and generate the paper as itself.