Abstract
The accelerating complexity and contested nature of the space domain demands a transformative leap in how space systems are conceptualized, acquired, wargamed, operated, and adapted in real time. Digital twins and Full Mission Virtualization™ are not merely technological enhancements but foundational enablers of decision dominance and strategic resilience. This paper examines the scientific progression from model-based systems engineering (MBSE) to operationally synchronized digital twins and evaluates their alignment with the U.S. Space Force’s strategic imperatives outlined in Space Warfighting: A Framework for Planners. We detail the conceptual architecture, challenges, and implementation pathways for building a digitally augmented warfighting environment that seamlessly connects design intent, operational test and training, mission rehearsal, and real-time operations.

Introduction
Space is now a dynamic and contested domain where technological overmatch no longer guarantees superiority. The imperative to outpace adversaries rests on the U.S. Space Force’s ability to integrate, adapt, and respond in operationally relevant timeframes. Digital engineering, MBSE, digital threads, and digital twins[1] have emerged as cornerstones of modern space system lifecycle management. However, these terms are often conflated, leading to inconsistent application and underuse. Their integration—culminating in Full Mission Virtualization™— offers the potential for adaptive mission planning, simulation, and execution all in real time.

Although MBSE allows structured logic and traceable design flows, it does not inherently incorporate environmental sensing, system degradation, or emergent behavioral dynamics of deployed assets. Digital twins, on the other hand, evolve with the systems they represent, continuously synchronized with telemetry, environmental data, and operational feedback. This synchronization transforms digital twins from static design derivatives into predictive, operational constructs capable of supporting autonomous decision-making and integrated multi-domain operations.

Continuum of Digital Evolution
At the lowest level of digital fidelity are static “as-built” models, which include PDFs, CAD drawings, and engineering specifications. These assets provide a detailed, but inert, understanding of a system’s form and function. On the other hand, structured digital models increase interactivity through simulation tools such as Simulink, often linked to requirements and bills of materials. However, despite offering deeper insights into subsystem behavior, these models remain domain-specific, isolated, and unable to answer operational questions.

MBSE frameworks elevate design rigor by integrating logical, physical, and behavioral representations. Using standardized languages such as SysML or UML, MBSE enables early validation and verification, along with lifecycle-wide requirements traceability. Yet MBSE remains insufficient for representing the dynamic, time-variant nature of on-orbit operations.

Digital threads represent the connective tissue that spans the lifecycle of a system. They link MBSE models with telemetry, feedback loops, and evolving mission requirements. This real-time coupling provides the first level of operational relevance and serves as the foundation upon which operational digital twins are constructed.

Operational digital twins are high-fidelity, virtual instantiations of real-world systems that adapt as new data are ingested. They are capable of modeling system health, forecasting failure, simulating behavior under stress, and countering adversarial activity. They operate across time and space, tracking states such as power, thermal load, tasking history, and crosslink latency. As such, they enable full-spectrum mission rehearsal, anomaly detection, Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTP) refinement, and constellation-wide orchestration.

Full Mission Virtualization™ is the convergence of all preceding layers into a unified environment. It supports live-virtual-constructive (LVC) training, acquisition trade-space analyses, real-time operator-in-the-loop decision support, and the simulation of cross-domain kill chains. However, this environment still requires a common development backbone capable of integrating models, telemetry, and AI services into a composable runtime architecture. Commercial platforms like Antaris TrueTwin™ deliver on this vision by enabling the rapid integration of these capabilities to deliver automation and operational answers to warfighters. The net effect is enhanced mission performance while cutting the time-to-mission by a factor of two and reducing mission lifecycle costs by an order of magnitude.

Strategic Alignment with Space Warfighting Doctrine
Digital twins and Full Mission Virtualization™ embody the core principles of the Space Warfighting Framework. They:

·      Advance integrated deterrence by enabling scenario-based posture modeling, coalition rehearsal, and adversary red teaming in real time;

·      Enhance decision superiority through predictive simulations that feed operational plans with real-world system behavior.

·      Improve readiness by delivering Guardian training environments that mirror live conditions, allowing forces to train as they fight; and

·      Support maneuver warfare by enabling dynamic command and control across an interconnected digital battlespace.

Challenges in Implementation
Despite the maturity of commercial toolchains, adoption within space acquisition remains uneven. Digital models, when created, are often confined to individual programs. Interoperability across contractor-developed systems is rare due to a lack of standards enforcement and financial incentives. The Space Systems Integration Office (SSIO) PEO is currently tasked with establishing digital engineering guidance, yet it lacks the resourcing and authority to mandate compliance across Space Force platforms, let alone international and commercial assets.

Further complicating matters is the disconnect between MBSE and digital twin development. MBSE is often treated as an acquisition artifact rather than an operational enabler. Legacy systems, if digitized at all, rely on manual translation of documentation rather than automated ingestion or AI-assisted reverse engineering.

Reframing the Path Forward
The way forward does not lie in the proliferation of ontologies nor bespoke standards that are difficult to implement and rarely adopted in practice. Rather, progress will be driven by the adoption of development environments in which virtualization, integration, and interfacing are built-in by design. In these environments, the generation of true digital twins is not a byproduct of engineering artifacts but rather a native function of the platform itself.

Such platforms standardize the creation of data harnesses, simulation linkages, and model interactions as an intrinsic part of virtual system development. Interfaces must not be separately defined but should be automatically instantiated as systems are constructed and composed within the virtualized environment. This approach reduces the need for external compliance layers and accelerates time-to-mission by enabling runtime model federation, real-time telemetry integration, and AI-assisted system behavior modeling without complex translation layers.

Adopting this paradigm will also enable legacy and coalition systems to participate in mission-level virtualization through trusted ingestion and dynamic adaptation. Instead of forcing conformance to a rigid data model, these platforms allow each contributing system to be ingested into a unified operational construct through embedded conversion logic and AI-driven mapping. This model-centric approach supports rapid scenario generation, secure multilateral cooperation, and agile capability deployment.

The future of space dominance will be shaped not by how well we enforce standards, but by how fluidly we integrate and adapt capabilities in a virtual battlespace. Full Mission Virtualization™ offers a science-based, operator-driven path to achieving that outcome.

Conclusion
If digital engineering is the syntax, then digital twins are the grammar of space dominance. Together, they transform static designs into living capabilities, and strategic conjecture into operational reality. Full Mission Virtualization™ represents the ultimate synthesis of these components—an environment where Guardian decision-making is enhanced by AI, informed by real-time data, and executed seamlessly across digital terrains. It is through this construct that the U.S. Space Force can assure its mission, deter its adversaries, and dominate the space domain.

About the Authors
Dr. Lisa Costa was the former Chief Technology and Innovation Officer of Space Force and is an expert in artificial intelligence (AI), cyber, and irregular warfare. She is a consultant to Antaris.

John Trionfo is the President of Defense Solutions and the Chief Growth Officer at Antaris. He has led simulation programs for  military and commercial platforms and has brought numerous startups from vision to growth to successful exit.

[1] For our purposes, a Digital Twin is a virtual representation of a physical object, process, or a system that accurately mirrors its real-world counterpart using data from sensors and other sources, enabling simulation, optimization, and predictive analytics.