United Space Alliance Flight Software Element Achieves Industry’s Highest Rating

The United Space Alliance (USA) Flight Software Element has achieved the highest possible level for the software industry’s recognized process integrity standard, the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) Capability Maturity Model® Integration (CMMI) Maturity Level (ML) 5 rating. This accomplishment is part of a company-wide initiative to achieve CMMI compliance for all company-managed software groups, and is part of USA’s ongoing goal to improve safety and quality.

“Achieving CMMI Level 5 compliance required a significant team effort on the part of our employees,” said Mike McCulley, USA’s Chief Executive Officer. “The standards are rigorous. This improvement will yield greater quality and reliability over the remainder of the Shuttle program and beyond by providing a basis for continually advancing our software engineering capability. I commend the team for this considerable achievement.”

USA’s Flight Software Element is responsible for the management and execution of a wide variety of software projects ranging from large complex systems to smaller single-use applications. The software projects fall into three distinct business area types: man-rated flight software, application tools software, and laboratory support software.

“In human space flight, there is no room for error,” said USA Flight Software Associate Program Manager Fred Hinson. “The Flight Software Organization has performed at an exceptional level for over 20 years now in the development and support of man-rated, real-time avionics code for over 100 Space Shuttle missions. We are proud to receive this recent recognition of our performance and capabilities.”

United Space Alliance is a leader in space operations offering extensive experience in space launch and recovery operations; mission planning and control; flight hardware processing; space flight training; on-orbit assembly, payload deployment and servicing; rendezvous/proximity operations and docking; large-scale integration and sustaining engineering. United Space Alliance serves as NASA’s prime contractor for the Space Shuttle and provides operations services for the International Space Station. United Space Alliance employs more than 10,000 people in Texas, Florida, and Alabama.