Software lifecycle themes for JPL Mission Data System (MDS) project

Abstract

Today there are many small deep space missions in progress or in conception at the Jet Propulsion Labora­tory. These missions have short lead times and small budgets while still pursuing ambitious science and technology goals. The short development times, the small funding profiles and the overlapping schedules of these new missions preclude the intensive, one-of-a- kind software development, maintenance, and opera­tions efforts that Were possible during the era of the big missions like Galileo and Cassini. How the laboratory develops, maintains and operates mission software in this new environment of multiple, concurrent, better, faster, and cheaper (BFC) missions will be crucial to the success of these new missions. The Mission Data System Project (MDS) team is developing core mission data system software for a group of the new BFC mis­sions. As part of this effort the MDS team is piloting a different approach to mission software development for the laboratory. This paper describes the MDS software lifecycle approach and the ways in which this approach differs from past mission software development efforts. Additionally this paper discusses the ways in which the MDS software development approach should contribute to the success of the MDS BFC customer missions.