NASA is the single largest user of Cradle. NASA has used Cradle as their primary requirements management and systems engineering tool for all manned space projects since 2007.

In NASA’s Constellation program, Cradle was used for requirements management at the mission level, and for each vehicle / mission element. That included Ares I, Ares V, Altair (the lander/orbiter), Orion and the ground stations. Cradle was used for trade study / technology analyses and architecture modelling in all of these programmes.

NASA currently uses Cradle in:

  • SLS, the successor to Ares V
  • Orion, which still continues
  • 21GS, the redesign / refurbishment / replacement of launch facilities

In all these programmes, Cradle is used for:

  • Overall mission design, with the ‘Design Reference Missions’ as models in Cradle
  • All of the requirements management – including hand-off to subcontractors
  • Technology / trade study analyses
  • Architecture modelling at the mission and mission element levels

Cradle is used across the entire US manned space programmes, including by Lockheed Martin, Boeing, United Launch Alliance, Orbital Sciences, Oceaneering Space Systems and many others. Cradle has also been adopted by SANSA the South African National Space Agency and Deimos Space, a key player in the European space sector. Cradle is used by many companies in the South Korean space sector, and is used in all major manned space programmes by Chinese Government agencies including CAST.

If you’re involved in the Australian space industry get in touch with Agile Controls and we will be happy to organise a demonstration of Cradle. https://agilecontrols.com.au/contact

Orion’s AA-2 flight test vehicle being rolled out from Kennedy Space Center. Image courtesy of NASA