1 AN ADAPTABLE ON-BOARD APPLICATION IN C++

Although C is well-established as a programming language for on-board applications, the use of its successor C++ is still resisted owing to safety concerns and the difficulty of accommodating its object-oriented features within current software qualification processes. While acknowledging these problems, this paper emphasizes the potential advantages of C++ for on-board software deriving from its support for advanced adaptation techniques that are essential to making software reuse possible. The discussion is made in the context of a project jointly done by Alenia Spazio / Rome (I) and P&P Software (D) for the development of the software for the TTC (Telemetry and TeleCommand) Modem of a digital transponder (TTCM-SW project). A prototype for this application has been entirely developed in C++ using software framework technology. The paper is ivided into two parts. The first part (sections 1 to 3) presents the rationale for the use of C++ in on-board applications. It argues in particular that this language is, at least in the short term, the ideal implementation medium for a framework approach which is in turn regarded as the most effective way of increasing the level of software reuse. The second par