Next-generation concurrent engineering: developing models to complement point designs

Concurrent engineering design (CED) teams have made routine the rapid development of point designs for space missions. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory\´s Team X is now evolving into a "next-generation" CED; in addition to a point design, the team develops a model of the local trade space. The process is a balance between the power of model-developing tools and the creativity of human experts, enabling the development of a variety of trade models for any space mission. This paper reviews the modeling method and its practical implementation in the CED environment. Example results illustrate the benefits of the approach