Conclusion

The use of the AltaRica tool to model a satellite constellation proved to be a valuable and insightful experience. Its flexibility enables dependability engineers to contribute effectively to architectural trade-offs by allowing modifications to the base model and assessing their impact at the constellation level. As demonstrated in this study, changes in design parameters can be quickly reflected in system-level performance evaluations.

From a practical perspective, the tool’s performance is acceptable: generating the AltaRica code with 1,800 observers for a full constellation takes approximately 10 minutes, while the simulation of 10,000 trajectories is completed in under 3 minutes. This enables rapid iteration and exploration of alternative designs.

However, one notable limitation is the relative complexity of implementation. Efficient...