Blockchain for Model Based System Engineering

When NASA constructs the Moon to Mars Gateway, teams of engineers from different NASA centers, different contractors and international partners will work together. System engineering spans across different countries and its contractors. There is a need to store the MBSE models securely in a distributive manner while enabling a single, real-time source of truth for the system models to eliminate and minimize several sources of errors and inefficiencies. These MBSE models have highly collaborative and complicated ecosystems with multiple participating partners that call for sophisticated security, trust, and privacy models. Blockchain can be used as the backbone for the technical solutions. However, blockchain technologies are not monolithic and different blockchain provide varying relative merits that can be categorized by different features such as consensus algorithms, permission models, smart contracts, asset managements, transaction performances, etc. In this project, we propose to first investigate and research existing NASA MBSE projects and blockchain technologies to construct a MBSE-centric taxonomy of blockchains. Based on the result, a proof of concept prototype will then be identified, specified, designed, and implemented to experiment with various features, especially those associated with our long-term view of a blockchain solution in which multiple inter- and intra- organizational blockchains interact with each other, with users, and with other forms of storages of the MBSE-models. The result of the project will be used to design a production blockchain-based MBSE system for aerospace applications.

Every MBSE project that has a distributed team which spans across multiple NASA centers and different contractors would need blockchain driven MBSE. Examples are the Moon to Mars Gateway, Orion, Space Launch System, Europa Clipper, and WFIRST (Wide Field InfraRed Survey Telescope).

In the non-NASA commercial area, the same scenarios apply. DoD and DoE have many programs that span cross its field centers and involve different contractors. When performing MBSE among a distributed team in various locations and organization, the blockchain MBSE system would be a good fit.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 3) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.