Formalizing software development: The case of critical missions

Developing software is a complicated and, in many cases, complex activity. Software engineers must face the challenges of each project to their full capacity, but sometimes issues arise that they cannot manage and the product does not achieve the objectives. This article is analyzed the development of software for space missions, are describe the disadvantages faced by these professionals and the causes that have led to various catastrophes. It is proposed that one way to help find a solution, in the case of this type of critical software, is to use formalization to a greater extent. Formal methods could contribute so that the errors are not repeated or, at least, to minimize them, but this community fails to agree on which of its proposals is the best adapted. It is hoped that in the future can be found the conjunction between software development and formal methods, if the objective is to improve these products for critical cases