The Project Test Bed and its application to future missions

This article presents the concept of the Project Test Bed (PTB) and its application in support of two ESA missions - the PROBA (Project for On-Board Autonomy) technology mission and the Land Surface Processes and Interactions Mission - during their early project phases. As a multi-purpose simulation and verification platform, the PTB includes a system simulator, an Electrical Ground Support Equipment and Monitoring Control System (EMCS) and real fright hardware like the on-board computer. It therefore has the potential to support systems-engineering activities throughout the spacecraft-development life cycle and of being reused from one mission to another, as reported here.