On November 16, 2022, over a decade’s worth of IV&V support across various programs, centers, and stakeholders led to the successful launch of the Artemis I Mission. The Orion Spacecraft traveled 1.4 million miles, splashing 

down in the Pacific Ocean on December 11, 2022, completing the 25-day journey. All critical Artemis software 

performed nominally, in part to over 18,500 system and software-related issues previously identified by IV&V, 

which could have negatively impacted the software execution in the Artemis mission timeline.

NASA’S Independent Verification & Validation Program (IV&V)

FY23 PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

JPSS-2 launched November 1, 2022 after over 

seven years of support from IV&V. The program 

identified 449 software defects, which were accepted and corrected by the development teams and 

resulted in improved safety and reliability of the 

JPSS-2 mission software.

NASA’s IV&V Program provided Software 

Safety and Mission Assurance (SMA) services 

contributing to the safe and successful launch,

docking, and return of SpaceX Crew-5 and 

Crew-6 missions and safe and successful 

launch and docking of the Crew-7 mission to 

the International Space Station. The program’s SMA 

services include software safety and quality analysis covering such areas as hazard reports and software audits.

Successful Software. Safer Missions.

In FY23, NASA IV&V supported 13 of NASA’s highest-profile programs and projects, and 

two IV&V-supported missions successfully launched: Artemis I and JPSS-2. IV&V identified 

over 1,600 significant software-related issues, including 34 issues with the potential to cause 

loss of mission or degradation of an essential mission capability. IV&V also supported 

mitigation and closure of 13 mission project risks identified through IV&V, leading to

increased quality and improved insight.

IV&V had a significant impact on the community, providing more than 300 jobs and

supporting internships, robotics initiatives, and educational outreach across West Virginia

to prepare the next generation of space science professionals. 

IV&V continued to develop 

unique spacecraft digital twins: 

software-only simulations that 

fully replicate spacecraft hardware and 

the space environment. As an example of a tangible contribution to reduce 

mission risk, IV&V utilized a purpose-built digital twin 

for Artemis to successfully execute a series of ascent 

phase abort test cases that will assure the safety of 

our astronauts and the success of Artemis II and 

subsequent Artemis missions. 

IV&V developed and continues to utilize similar capabilities for NASA’s science missions. For Psyche, the 

IV&V team used our unique testbed to perform specific 

independent testing requested by the Jet Propulsion 

Laboratory (JPL). JPL asked for this support because 

their current testbeds could not be used to perform the 

same tests.

IV&V’s development of industry-leading software 

analysis tools also included collaboration with OSMA on 

the development of the Code Analysis Pipeline (CAP), 

a unique capability for using multiple tools to analyze 

the software on NASA’s highest-profile missions.

Industry-Leading 

Technology.
Working closely with Agency leadership 

and Mission Directorate stakeholders, 

the IV&V Mission Protection Services 

(MPS) initiative continued to advance 

its complementary approach to NASA 

mission security. MPS provides a mission-focused view of cybersecurity that leverages 

and builds on IV&V’s existing capabilities to improve 

NASA’s understanding of software security risks and 

potential mitigations. This past year, the MPS team 

worked collaboratively with the Orion project to 

improve the mission’s overall security posture.

The SMA Support Office (SSO) Outreach Team adapted 

a code quality assessment capability to make it more 

applicable to NASA missions with more automation. 

NASA’s version, the Code Quality Risk Assessment 

(CQRA) capability, is easier to execute and comprehend, 

and it has been shown to provide significant value.

The team also provided Software Assurance (SA) reach 

back support to the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER)/Near Infrared Volatile Spectrometer 

Subsystem (NIRVSS) Project at Ames, where they were 

challenged to mitigate the overall SA project risk for this 

upcoming Artemis moon mission. Team members also 

completed SA support of a Wallops Flight Facility (WFF) 

NASA Autonomous Flight Termination Unit (NAFTU) 

project — an almost three-year effort to assure software 

on the command-and-control system enabling an autonomous launch capability for launch vehicle providers.

Risk Reduction for Mission Success.

A strong foundation 

produces results.

States in red 

represent the 

local presence 

of IV&V staff.

IV&V’s focus on STEM engagement continued 

to be a major success this year. The program 

supported three yearlong interns, 10 summer 

interns, and collaborated with the West Virginia 

Space Grant Consortium to create seven yearlong fellowships and many programs for students 

across the Mountain State. Classroom outreach 

included sessions on Artemis, general 

rocketry, internship information, and 

career opportunity showcases.

Our Education Resource 

Center (ERC), a partnership

with Fairmont State

University, had a 95%

satisfaction rate for educator 

workshops. In FY23 the ERC 

coordinated and hosted the 

second annual WVSSAC 

Robotics Championship Tournament 

and supported our statewide partners 

with over 30 robotics events for teams 

from WV which engaged 6000+ students.

47 educator 

workshops 

held in 

FY23!

45 hour-long 

STEM work- shops impacting 

348 students.

Reached over 

2,720 students 

& families at live 

events!

280 Contractors 51 Civil Servants

IV&V Impact on West Virginia. 

Economic impact in WV can be attributed to labor income 

and tax revenue. Results from these activities, when 

multipliers are applied, are estimated to account for 

$47.8M in labor income and $139.2M in economic output.

Our national footprint supports an agency-wide 

scope that provides subject matter experts in a 

variety of disciplines, domains, processes, and 

tools wherever they are needed.

IV&V Support Across the U.S. 

100 University Drive, Fairmont, WV 26554

(304) 367-8200 • ivv-dl-info@mail.nasa.gov

Find us online for more details: 

www.nasa.gov/katherine-johnson-ivv-facility