Spacecraft design with a digital twin

This white paper describes why both public agencies and private businesses must focus on digitalization in the Space 4.0 industry. It explains how Simcenter can help space companies innovate their products and processes faster through the digital twin.

The privatization of the space industry drives the need for cheaper and more efficient spacecraft design. Launch prices drop as spacecraft engineering becomes part of a demand-driven economy. Simultaneously, public investments keep growing, and crewed space exploration revives.

This evolution shakes up some fundamentals of space systems engineering. Companies must concentrate on reducing the time, cost and risks of spacecraft design while delivering excellence and dealing with complexity.

Digital transformation in space systems engineering

Being successful in the new space era requires cost management, a different approach to risk and more agile, customer-oriented business models. Thorough digitalization will be crucial to achieving time and cost savings on both the product and process levels.

By using a digital twin, companies dramatically reduce time-to-market by shortening decision-making processes, development times and testing loops. More efficiency gains can be found in the way products are conceived, manufactured and used.

Managing spacecraft design data with a digital twin

Still today, data management and integration can be challenging for space organizations. To overcome this challenge, they will increasingly use spacecraft digital twins. Managing spacecraft design data with a digital twin helps companies generate more valuable insights and improve decision-making.

Solutions for spacecraft design priorities

This paper explores reasons why the digital twin has become a necessity for spacecraft systems engineering. It describes the factors driving the transformation of the industry and solutions to achieve spacecraft design priorities.

You will gain insights into applications of the digital twin technologies for:

• Propulsion system performance engineering
• Fluid dynamics and heat transfer
• Structures, systems and robots
• Thermal management
• Electromagnetic performance engineering
• Spacecraft safety and mission assurance
• Integration, verification and qualification