NASA has demonstrated a navigation system designed to help spacecraft find safe landing sites autonomously on the Moon and other planets. On Aug. 27, an Alta-X drone carrying the agency’s Safe and Precise Landing – Integrated Capabilities Evolution (SPLICE) payload completed simulated lunar descent and landing maneuvers at Rogers Dry Lake near NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California.
During the flight, SPLICE mapped the terrain and assessed possible landing areas using sensor data to create high-resolution digital elevation maps. If the system judges its target unsafe, it can redirect the vehicle toward a safer location.
NASA’s Johnson Space Center developed the payload, with Armstrong specialists integrating and testing it on the drone in June and July. Those earlier tests checked communications, data handling, telemetry, and command-and-control performance. They were preparation for a full-scale test planned for later this month at Voyager Technologies in Mojave, California.
NASA project manager Davis Adams said the flight marked the culmination of nearly a decade of SPLICE work and advanced the technology’s readiness for possible use on future robotic and crewed lunar missions. He said the guidance and navigation systems could also apply to descent and landing missions on Earth and Mars.
NASA has worked with commercial lunar lander providers on incorporating versions of SPLICE into their vehicles. The agency is also coordinating with industry on access to the guidance system through its software catalog, which Adams said was planned for release in the fall. Some companies are evaluating its navigation capabilities for precision landings and possible use in autonomous surface mobility.
NASA’s Flight Opportunities project supported earlier SPLICE tests. In 2019, testing covered descent altitude and a landing trajectory similar to one expected on a lunar mission; in 2020, the project demonstrated two NASA-developed precision landing sensor systems.
Sources: NASA Breaking News.