Validation of mission critical software design and implementation using model checking [spacecraft]

Over the years, the complexity of space missions has dramatically increased with more of the critical aspects of a spacecraft's design being implemented in software. With the added functionality and performance required by the software to meet system requirements, the robustness of the software must be upheld. Traditional software validation methods of simulation and testing are being stretched to adequately cover the needs of software development in this growing environment. It is becoming increasingly difficult to establish traditional software validation practices that confidently confirm the robustness of the design in balance with cost and schedule needs of the project. As a result, model checking is emerging as a powerful validation technique for mission critical software. Model checking conducts an exhaustive exploration of all possible behaviors of a software system design and as such can be used to detect defects in designs that are typically difficult to discover with conventional testing approaches.