Development of A Software Architecture Method for Software Product Families and its Application to the AubieSat Satellite Program

Abstract

Software architecture methodologies are very useful in reusing software code from one product to another. In software product families, several similar products are developed by the same organization that share many features and are prime candidates for code reuse. Previous work on software architectures for product lines is leveraged to create a unique architecture methodology called Core Based Architecture for Product Families (CBAPF). This methodology is then applied to the AubieSat satellite program at Auburn University by modifying the design of AubieSat-1 and demonstrating how the methodology assists in reusing the core software in the ground station system and in a hypothetical AubieSat-2 mission. This case study demonstrates that CBAPF framework excels at providing a formal design that allows for code reuse in this satellite family.