15 th Annual Conference on Systems Engineering Research Disciplinary Convergence: Implications for Systems Engineering Research 1 Eds.: Azad M. Madni, Barry Boehm Daniel A. Erwin, Roger Ghanem; University of Southern California Marilee J. Wheaton, The Aerospace Corporation Redondo Beach, CA, March 23-25, 2017 Validation and Verification of MBSE-compliant CubeSat Reference Model David Kaslow a , Azad M. Madni b a INCOSE Space Systems Working Group Chair, david.kaslow@gmail.com b University of Southern California, Azad.Madni@usc.edu Abstract As Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) continues to mature and becomes part of space engineering practice, the concept of a Reference Model becomes increasingly important. The CubeSat Reference Model (CRM) is an example of a reference model that is being developed by the INCOSE Space Systems Working Group (SSWG). The intent of the model is to facilitate the design, verification and validation of CubeSat design. The CRM is being developed with sufficient flexibility to support customization for specific CubeSat missions by mission-specific CubeSat teams. This paper presents the key elements of the CRM developed using MBSE practices. It presents different views of the model along with a validation and verification approach. Further research is needed into how best to augment with other models to facilitate CubeSat test and evaluation. Keywords: verification; validation; CubeSat; Reference Model; MBSE 1. Introduction A CubeSat is a low-cost standardized nanosatellite. It originated from the CubeSat Project which was established in 1999 by California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), San Luis Obispo and Stanford University's Space and Systems Development Laboratory (SSDL). The CubeSat Project was established for the university community to design, build, and launch satellites using mostly off-the-shelf components. The basic CubeSat unit is 10x10x10 centimeters with a mass of about 1.3 kilograms. This cubic unit is referred to as 1U. CubeSat units can be joined to form a larger satellite. One-, two-, and three-unit (1U, 2U, and 3U) CubeSats have been the most common configurations so far. They are typically launched as secondary payloads or deployed from the International Space Station. Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) is a key recent practice to advance the systems engineering discipline [1]. The International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) established the MBSE Initiative [2] to promote, advance, and institutionalize the practice of MBSE. As part of this effort, since 2011 the INCOSE Space Systems Working Group (SSWG) Challenge Team has been investigating the applicability of MBSE for designing CubeSats. The SSWG team comprises academics (including faculty and students), practitioners (including engineers and software developers from NASA centers and industry), and representatives of commercial tool vendors. The goals of the MBSE Challenge Project are to:  Demonstrate Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) methodology as applied to a CubeSat mission;  Provide a CubeSat Reference Model (CRM) for CubeSat teams to use as the starting point for developing mission-specific CubeSat models; and  Develop the CRM as an Object Management Group (OMG) specification. Central to this MBSE work is the creation of a CubeSat Reference Model (CRM). A generic reference