SpaceFOM V2: The Next Generation in Space Simulation Interoperability and How You Can Help

As space missions become increasingly collaborative and complex, distributed simulation has become an essential technology for system design, engineering, testing, training, mission operations, and digital engineering. Achieving interoperability across heterogeneous simulation environments requires more than compatible software; it requires common standards that define the semantics of time, space, physical entities, and execution control.

The SISO Space Reference Federation Object Model (SpaceFOM) was developed to address this challenge through a unique collaboration between government, industry, and academia. Since its publication in 2020, SpaceFOM has evolved into a widely adopted interoperability standard supporting applications within NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), industry, and universities. Its capabilities have been successfully demonstrated in major initiatives including NASA’s Artemis program, European distributed simulation activities, and the international Simulation Exploration Experience (SEE), while its evolution has been documented through a growing body of scientific publications and practical implementations.

Building on these operational experiences and extensive community feedback, SISO is launching the SpaceFOM Version 2 Product Development Group (PDG) to guide the next evolution of the standard. Rather than representing a complete redesign, SpaceFOM V2 extends a mature and proven foundation by addressing capabilities requested by current users, including richer object and interaction models, improved execution robustness, save/restore mechanisms, flexible time resolution, HLA 4 compatibility, enhanced scalability through Data Distribution Management (DDM), and numerous refinements driven by practical deployment experience.

Beyond the technical roadmap, this presentation highlights the collaborative ecosystem that has enabled SpaceFOM’s success. It discusses how government agencies, aerospace industry, and academia have jointly contributed to the development, validation, dissemination, and adoption of the standard, demonstrating the value of open, consensus-based standards for advancing simulation interoperability.

Finally, the presentation introduces the objectives and organization of the new SpaceFOM V2 Product Development Group and invites researchers, engineers, practitioners, educators, and students to actively participate. Whether contributing operational experience, proposing new capabilities, validating emerging concepts, or helping shape future releases, community involvement will be essential to ensuring that SpaceFOM continues to meet the evolving needs of international space programs and remains the foundation for the next generation of interoperable space simulation.