Abstract: In the development of spacecraft, according to the verification requirement, many spacecraft models and various tests are required, which is costly and timeconsuming. Since 1999, ESA started a project to develop a method for evaluating the effectiveness of the spacecraft model and the related tests. The MATED tool has been applied in ESA's spacecraft development since 2006. The improvement of the ESA spacecraft model and test method is significant. The cost and time for the spacecraft development were reduced and the reliability in orbit was ensured. This paper reviews the evaluation method of ESA for the effectiveness of the spacecraft model and related tests, as well as the MATED tool functions, and makes some suggestions for the work in China in future in this area.