Astrobotic successfully field-tested advanced navigation techniques that
could be used by the next generation of spacecraft to map and target
landings on icy planetary bodies, like Europa or Enceladus.
Under a NASA Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase II-X contract,
Astrobotic engineers travelled to Alaska to test AstroNav™, a software
framework for multi-sensory robotic navigation and mapping. During this
four-day mission, a custom drone with AstroNav software onboard was flown
over rugged textures and dirty ice on Knik Glacier, 60 miles east of
Anchorage, Alaska.
“Unlike the Earth or Moon, icy moons in the outer solar system have no
existing map data available, and their icy terrain is difficult to
robotically map because of their reflective properties. AstroNav utilizes
cameras, LiDAR [scanning lasers], and Astrobotic software to build an
accurate, 3D map of an area in real time. Think of it like a bat using sound
to ‘see,’ but with light,” says Andrew Horchler, Chief Research Scientist at
Astrobotic. “This could enable a spacecraft to navigate relative to this
map, identify potential hazards, and select a safe landing site on planetary
bodies that have not been previously mapped.”
Extensive testing is critical for AstroNav to empower spacecraft to explore
unmapped, GPS-denied environments such as lunar skylights, lava tubes, and
icy moons. Testing campaigns are key to overcoming challenges like ice and
transitions between light and dark environments. In Alaska, Astrobotic’s
goal was to leverage the company’s state-of-the-art simultaneous
localization and mapping (SLAM) software to optimally fuse multiple types of
sensors in real time.
Over four days of testing at three different sites on Knik Glacier, the team
completed 15 successful flights up to altitudes 100 meters above the icy
surface. From the data collected above the glacier, the system was able to
track terrain with high accuracy over trajectories relevant to a descent and
landing scenario at an icy moon. Additional analysis will provide deeper
insights into autonomous landing system for unmapped bodies.
This research builds on Astrobotic’s ongoing hazard detection and avoidance
systems for its Griffin Mission One program carrying NASA’s Volatiles
Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) in 2023. When completed, these
combined technologies will enable landed robotic missions to outer bodies
without a precursor mission, rapidly advancing science and exploration goals
while expanding humankinds’ understanding of the solar system.
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