- Starion’s experts in model-based system engineering (MBSE) have started developing a new SysML v2 modelling tool based on the company’s CDP4-COMET platform.
- The new tool will take advantage of significant advances in interoperability and flexibility delivered by the new version of the SysML modelling language.
- An open-source version of Starion’s SysML v2 tool is expected in Q3 2027, followed by an Enterprise Edition in 2028.
Starion’s MBSE team has started development of a next generation modelling tool, founded on Starion’s market-leading CDP4-COMET concurrent design platform and the SysML v2 modelling language.
SysML v2 is the latest evolution of the Systems Modeling Language (SysML), developed by the Object Management Group (OMG), which describes SysML v2 as “more precise, expressive, interoperable and extensible [than v1]”. Starion’s system engineers have been actively contributing to the adoption of SysML v2 and are now using their knowledge to create this new tool.
Sam Gerené, Starion Competence Area Lead Concurrent Design and MBSE, said: “SysML v2 is far more than an incremental upgrade to a modelling language. Instead, we believe it is the foundation for an entirely new engineering paradigm – one that is open, interoperable, flexible and inherently collaborative. Development of a new SysML v2-based version of our CDP4-COMET tool is therefore the logical next major advance in our ongoing provision of MBSE services for multidisciplinary, pan-European, connected engineering environments.”
Starion’s current modelling tool, CDP4-COMET, is based on the ECSS-E-TM-10-25 technical memorandum, which was developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) and its industrial partners. ESA uses Starion’s CDP4-COMET in its Concurrent Design Facility (CDF) at the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) and at the ESA Academy Training and Learning Facility. The evolution of CDP4-COMET to a SysML v2-compliant platform will enable seamless integration between early phase space mission activities and the later phases carried out at ESA’s European Space Operations Centre (ESOC), where work is underway to develop a SysML v2 implementation for its activities.
CDP4-COMET is also used in other sectors for early phase design of complex systems, including maritime and defence. Starion’s new tool will provide a straightforward migration path for existing CDP4-COMET users, providing them with a significant leap forward in capabilities and standards alignment.
Like the existing CDP4-COMET platform, two versions of the new cloud-based, standards-compliant tool will be developed: an open-source version, providing easy, low barrier access for small companies and academic institutions, and an Enterprise Edition with additional enterprise-grade features and support for larger organisations. The development roadmap includes regular community engagement to attain feedback from early adopters.
Alex Vorobiev, Operations Director – Belgium, said: “Starion’s new tool will enable European space actors to collaborate more effectively, reduce iteration cycles and improve design traceability, from early-phase studies to implementation and verification. By investing in open-source tooling, enterprise-grade infrastructure and a scalable training and certification programme, Starion is not only delivering software – we are supporting strategic European goals around digital sovereignty by providing a European-led platform built on open standards and deployed under European control.”
This project is being realised with support from the Belgian Science Policy Office (BELSPO) through ESA’s General Support Technology Programme (GSTP).
