Sandia Aerospace, an avionics manufacturer normally specializing in the development of avionics electronics hardware, had a unique problem. They had negotiated a contract to manufacture and support a real-time satellite weather receiver product. This included performing the FAA Technical Standard Order (TSO) certification on the weather receiver and then manufacturing the certified product. Sandia Aerospace was well positioned to handle the portions of the certification effort concerning the electronics hardware but needed additional engineering to perform the software certification activities.

After some consultation with Sandia Aerospace, we determined that to bring the product to market quickly, Optimization Technologies would assume complete responsibility for the qualification of the software to the standards or RTCA DO-178B and provide a turn-key certification package to Sandia for submittal to the FAA. This allowed for the use of Optimization Technologies' DO-178B certification processes including the necessary standards as well as document templates which have been found compliant by FAA designees.

Optimization Technologies took prototype software for the receiver and performed a full software development life cycle, from the development of the Plan for Software Aspects of Certification (PSAC) to verification and validation activities. Optimization engineers worked with the FAA designee to review and approve all software life cycle data. This project was established on schedule and on budget, allowing Sandia Aerospace to obtain the maximum value from their investment. The decision to collaborate with Optimization Technologies’ experienced and customer-focused engineering team enabled Sandia to successfully complete the FAA certification of the weather receiver and manufacture a quality avionics system for the market.

Since this initial project, Optimization Technologies has become more than just a supplier to Sandia Aerospace. We have worked with Sandia Aerospace to perform similar DO-178B software certification services and are a trusted business partner who is fully committed to their success.