Deliver Mission-Ready Space Systems Faster

Bring space systems from concept to orbit faster, while maintaining mission assurance, traceability, and configuration control across the lifecycle.

Overview Challenges Why PTC Solutions Customer Stories Resources
Contact Us

Space programs cannot afford disconnected engineering

From satellite constellations and missile warning platforms to ISR payloads, secure communications networks, and responsive launch systems, space programs are becoming increasingly software-driven and mission-critical. Modern space systems bring together complex mechanical structures, avionics, flight software, payload electronics, and ground systems, often developed simultaneously by distributed teams and suppliers. Yet many organizations still rely on fragmented engineering environments, making it difficult to see how decisions in one area affect the rest of the system. By establishing a digital thread that connects engineering across the lifecycle, space organizations can detect issues earlier, accelerate development, and launch with greater confidence.

Challenges in space system development

Legacy processes and fragmented engineering environments slow development and increase risk across space programs.

Legacy processes and fragmented engineering environments slow development and increase risk across space programs.

Growing system complexity

Disconnected tools make it difficult to manage interfaces, validate designs, and control change.

Disconnected tools make it difficult to manage interfaces, validate designs, and control change.

Requirements and traceability gaps

Mission requirements, subsystem specifications, and verification activities often live in separate systems. Without end-to-end traceability, teams struggle to maintain alignment between mission intent and system design.

Mission requirements, subsystem specifications, and verification activities often live in separate systems. Without end-to-end traceability, teams struggle to maintain alignment between mission intent and system design.

Supplier and program coordination challenges

Space programs depend on distributed suppliers, yet without secure collaboration and configuration control, teams face delays, revision conflicts, and limited visibility across the supply chain.

Space programs depend on distributed suppliers, yet without secure collaboration and configuration control, teams face delays, revision conflicts, and limited visibility across the supply chain.

Long validation and change cycles

Siloed engineering workflows push issues later into development. Changes cascade across hardware, software, documentation, and manufacturing, increasing rework and extending schedules.

Siloed engineering workflows push issues later into development. Changes cascade across hardware, software, documentation, and manufacturing, increasing rework and extending schedules.

Unify development processes for faster innovation

Discover how leaders in the space industry are breaking down silos between engineering disciplines to accelerate innovation, improve quality, and deliver complex systems faster.

An integrated digital foundation for mission-critical space programs


Managing the complexity of modern space programs requires a digital engineering environment that integrates software and hardware development. PTC’s intelligent product lifecycle enables space organizations to link requirements, systems engineering, design, simulation, configuration management, supplier collaboration, and manufacturing data across a unified product data foundation, so engineering intent remains connected from mission requirements through validation and production.

From complexity to mission advantage

A unified digital foundation helps space organizations manage system complexity while accelerating development.

A unified digital foundation helps space organizations manage system complexity while accelerating development.

Strengthen requirements traceability

Maintain clear alignment from operational requirements through architecture, design, verification, and production.

Maintain clear alignment from operational requirements through architecture, design, verification, and production.

Improve supplier collaboration

Enable secure collaboration across primes, partners, and suppliers while maintaining design visibility and configuration authority.

Enable secure collaboration across primes, partners, and suppliers while maintaining design visibility and configuration authority.

Reduce integration and change risk

Surface issues earlier, understand the downstream impact of change, and reduce late-stage rework across multidisciplinary programs.

Surface issues earlier, understand the downstream impact of change, and reduce late-stage rework across multidisciplinary programs.

Connect engineering to production

Synchronize engineering and manufacturing data so production teams work from an authoritative product definition.

Synchronize engineering and manufacturing data so production teams work from an authoritative product definition.

Accelerating aerospace & defense innovation with PTC & Ansys

See how aerospace and defense organizations can use digital engineering to manage complexity, reduce risk, and accelerate development.

Launch faster with PTC

“We can test ideas in hours, not weeks and for less than the cost of a coffee. That’s a huge advantage when you’re scaling fast.”

Mariarosa Argenteiro, Chief Commercial Officer, Arca Dynamics

Watch the Interview

Digital engineering for space missions

Reduce risk and launch faster by connecting requirements, engineering, software, manufacturing, and verification.

Systems engineering

<p>Connect requirements, architecture, and verification with end-to-end traceability. </p>

Requirements management

<p>Capture, manage, and validate mission requirements while maintaining traceability from system-level objectives to subsystem implementation and verification. </p>

Simulation-driven design

<p>Simulate and validate designs earlier and reduce late-stage integration surprises. </p>

Configuration and change management

<p>Understand the impact of every change before it becomes program risk. </p>

Program and compliance visibility

<p>Maintain auditable traceability across requirements, verification, and documentation to support mission assurance and regulatory compliance. </p>

Systems engineering Connect requirements, architecture, and verification with end-to-end traceability. Requirements management Capture, manage, and validate mission requirements while maintaining traceability from system-level objectives to subsystem implementation and verification. Simulation-driven design Simulate and validate designs earlier and reduce late-stage integration surprises. Configuration and change management Understand the impact of every change before it becomes program risk. Program and compliance visibility Maintain auditable traceability across requirements, verification, and documentation to support mission assurance and regulatory compliance.

How leading space organizations work faster

Space organizations are using digital engineering to reduce risk, manage complexity, and deliver mission‑critical systems with confidence.

Logo-ARCA-Dynamics
nasa-text-logo-96x96.svg
jacobs
D-Orbit logo SVG
liftero-logo-black-svg
Reditus Space logo SVG

Smarter Satellites, Faster Launches: ARCA Dynamics’ Competitive Edge in Low Earth Orbit

See how ARCA Dynamics uses Creo to accelerate nanosatellite design, reduce production risk, and support agile space development.

Read Their Story

NASA: Digital engineering for mission success

Discover how NASA is using digital engineering to simulate reality, mitigate risk, and support mission success.

Watch the Video

Jacobs Takes Product Design to New Heights with Generative Design in Aerospace

Learn how the engineering team at Jacobs used generative design to optimize life-support backpack designs.

Read Their Story

D-Orbit is Revolutionizing Space Transport for the Future of Humanity

Discover how D-Orbit is using Creo to visualize and manage the development of very large satellite assemblies.

Listen to the Podcast

Liftero takes advantage of CAD software for startups

Learn why Liftero chose Onshape to rapidly design and develop its reusable orbital transfer vehicles.

Read Their Story

Reditus Space selects Onshape to accelerate development of reusable orbital reentry capsule

Discover how Reditus uses Onshape to move from early concepts to flight-ready designs and to meet ITAR and EAR requirements without sacrificing speed.

Read Their Story

Come see us in person

Attend upcoming aerospace and defense events to hear how industry leaders are reducing development time, managing complexity, and scaling production with modern digital approaches.

Discover Events

Connect with our Aerospace & Defense experts

Kevin Tomkins

Senior Vice President, Sales, Americas

Kevin Tomkins has extensive experience in the computer software industry, specializing in enterprise software, Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), Smart Connected Products and Operations, and Augmented Reality. He is known for leading go‑to‑market strategy, partner ecosystems, and strategic partnerships that drive growth and adoption.

Alex Daly

National Security Lead

Alex Daly drives defense modernization strategy and engagement with the U.S. government and defense industrial base for PTC. He oversees government relations with senior leaders across Congress, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the Japanese Ministry of Defense, and founded PTC’s annual National Security Summit. He brings deep experience in aerospace and defense business development, U.S.–Japan alliances, and holds an active DoD SECRET clearance.

Jens Stephan

Regional Sales Director, Central Europe

Jens Stephan leads PTC’s Aerospace & Defense business in Central Europe, supporting organizations in a strategically vital industry to strengthen mission readiness, resilience, and innovation through digital transformation. He brings over 20 years of experience in Software/SaaS and IT infrastructure sales, helping defense and aerospace leaders connect strategy with execution through PTC’s Intelligent Product Lifecycle. He is passionate about advancing technological sovereignty and building trusted partnerships across Europe.